Population Per Seat
The Council of States represents the federal nature of Switzerland: seats are distributed by state (canton), not by population. Consequently, the number of people represented by a single seat in the Council of State varies by a factor of 40, from 15,000 for Appenzell Innerrhoden to 600,000 for Zurich.
| Abbr | Canton | Seats | Population ¹ | per seat | ² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZH | Zurich | 2 | 1,228,600 | 614,300 | 1.0 |
| BE | Bern | 2 | 947,100 | 473,550 | 1.3 |
| VD | Vaud | 2 | 626,200 | 313,100 | 2.0 |
| AG | Aargau | 2 | 550,900 | 275,450 | 2.2 |
| BL | Basel-Landschaft | 1 | 261,400 | 261,400 | 2.4 |
| SG | St. Gallen | 2 | 452,600 | 226,300 | 2.7 |
| GE | Geneva | 2 | 414,300 | 207,150 | 3.0 |
| BS | Basel-Stadt | 1 | 186,700 | 186,700 | 3.3 |
| LU | Luzern | 2 | 350,600 | 175,300 | 3.5 |
| TI | Ticino | 2 | 311,900 | 155,950 | 3.9 |
| VS | Valais | 2 | 278,200 | 139,100 | 4.4 |
| SO | Solothurn | 2 | 245,500 | 122,750 | 5.0 |
| FR | Fribourg | 2 | 239,100 | 119,550 | 5.1 |
| TG | Thurgau | 2 | 228,200 | 114,100 | 5.4 |
| GR | Graubünden | 2 | 185,700 | 92,850 | 6.6 |
| NE | Neuchâtel | 2 | 166,500 | 83,250 | 7.4 |
| SZ | Schwyz | 2 | 131,400 | 65,700 | 9.4 |
| AR | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | 1 | 53,200 | 53,200 | 11.5 |
| ZG | Zug | 2 | 100,900 | 50,450 | 12.2 |
| NW | Nidwalden | 1 | 38,600 | 38,600 | 15.9 |
| SH | Schaffhausen | 2 | 73,400 | 36,700 | 16.7 |
| JU | Jura | 2 | 69,100 | 34,550 | 17.8 |
| OW | Obwalden | 1 | 32,700 | 32,700 | 18.8 |
| GL | Glarus | 2 | 38,300 | 19,150 | 32.1 |
| UR | Uri | 2 | 35,000 | 17,500 | 35.1 |
| AI | Appenzell Innerrhoden | 1 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 41.0 |
| Overall | 46 | 7,261,200 | 157,852 | 3.9 | |
Notes: ¹ Population data from Cantons of Switzerland (2001). ² Relative representation compared to Zürich.
Read more about this topic: Council Of States (Switzerland)
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