By IANS,
Geneva : A total of 703,640 Swiss nationals are now living abroad, representing 10 percent of country’s population, the government said.
The 2011 statistics published by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Friday show for the first time, the number of Swiss nationals living abroad exceeds 700,000.
The European Union hosts a majority of the Swiss nationals living abroad. There are 435,203 Swiss citizens living in EU countries, accounting for 61.85 percent of the total, Xinhua reports.
France heads the list of countries with the largest Swiss communities. At the last count, 183,754 Swiss nationals were registered in France. They account for 26.11 percent of all Swiss people living abroad.
Germany, with 79,050 Swiss nationals, ranks second, followed by the US with 75,637.
Overall, the number of Swiss nationals registered abroad last year increased by 8,517 people or 1.23 percent of the population. The highest rate of increase was observed in Asia, with an increase rate of 4.49 percent, followed by Europe, Oceania, Africa and America.