Prisons in Switzerland have recorded a record number of people deprived of their liberty. According to the latest data from the Federal Statistical Office, on January 31, 2026, a total of 7,119 people were held in these institutions.
This is the highest figure recorded since data collection in this form began in 1988, Swiss media report. Despite this record, the Federal Statistical Office explains that in relation to the overall population growth in Switzerland, the incarceration rate is currently lower than it was ten years ago.
However, the workload in the country’s 90 correctional institutions has increased significantly. This means that the national prison occupancy rate has reached 97 percent.
Of the total number of prisoners, 63 percent are serving regular sentences or other punitive measures, while 31 percent are in pre-trial detention or for security reasons. The remaining 6 percent are detained for other reasons.
The 2025 statistics show a clear trend towards fines. Of the 111,962 fines recorded for adults, the vast majority were related to road traffic law violations (57,150 cases).
Regarding the 38,406 convictions under the Criminal Code, crimes against property occupy the leading place with 48 percent, followed by crimes against life and health (12 percent) and sexual crimes (3 percent).
The suspended fine has become the most common sanction since it began to be applied in 2007. During the reporting year (January 31, 2025 – January 31, 2026) the fine was imposed 78,693 times. On the other hand, short sentences without suspension have reached a historical minimum with only 2937 cases.
During 2025, Swiss courts imposed 2,272 deportations from the country. Over half of these deportations were set for a duration of more than five years.
Interestingly, 37 percent of the people affected by this decision were citizens of European Union member states.