Ranking · Data 2025 · Source: BFS
The fastest-shrinking municipalities in canton Neuchâtel
National ranking →Les Planchettes is shrinking fastest in canton Neuchâtel: its population fell -6.5 % in 2025. Next come La Brévine (-1.6 %) and La Côte-aux-Fées (-1.3 %). The basis is the year’s population change. Source: FSO (BEVNAT).
Ranking
BFS · 2025| Rank | Municipality | Population change | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Planchettes | -6.5% | 187 |
| 2 | La Brévine | -1.6% | 614 |
| 3 | La Côte-aux-Fées | -1.3% | 467 |
| 4 | Cortaillod | -0.8% | 4'769 |
| 5 | La Chaux-du-Milieu | -0.4% | 494 |
| 6 | Le Locle | 0.1% | 10'912 |
| 7 | Cornaux | 0.1% | 1'684 |
| 8 | Val-de-Ruz | 0.2% | 17'543 |
| 9 | Val-de-Travers | 0.2% | 10'710 |
| 10 | Les Ponts-de-Martel | 0.2% | 1'234 |
| 11 | Laténa | 0.3% | 11'752 |
| 12 | Les Verrières | 0.3% | 660 |
| 13 | Neuchâtel | 0.4% | 45'466 |
| 14 | Boudry | 0.4% | 6'341 |
| 15 | Milvignes | 0.6% | 9'367 |
| 16 | La Chaux-de-Fonds | 0.7% | 37'858 |
| 17 | Le Landeron | 0.7% | 4'685 |
| 18 | Le Cerneux-Péquignot | 1% | 313 |
| 19 | Brot-Plamboz | 1% | 300 |
| 20 | La Sagne | 1.4% | 1'090 |
| 21 | La Grande Béroche | 1.5% | 9'363 |
| 22 | Rochefort | 2.1% | 1'383 |
| 23 | Cressier | 3.3% | 2'072 |
| 24 | Lignières | 3.8% | 1'101 |
BEVNAT (Statistik der natürlichen Bevölkerungsbewegung) 2025 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 11.09.2026
How we measure this
BFSChange in the permanent resident population during calendar year 2025, in percent of the population on 1 January, from the FSO statistics on natural population movement (BEVNAT) and migration. This ranking shows the same measure from the other end: the steepest declines first. A negative value means shrinkage.
Frequently asked questions
- Which municipality in canton Neuchâtel is shrinking fastest?
- Les Planchettes: -6.5 % population in 2025 — the steepest decline of any municipality in canton Neuchâtel. Source: FSO (BEVNAT).
- Why do some municipalities shrink?
- The year’s population change comes from births, deaths and in/out-migration (FSO BEVNAT). When deaths and departures outweigh births and arrivals, the population falls. The percentage makes small and large municipalities comparable.