The steepest municipalities in canton Geneva
National ranking →Dardagny is the steepest municipality in canton Geneva: its terrain averages 5.8° of slope. Next come Russin (5.8°) and Avully (5.1°). This is the mean gradient across the whole municipal area, measured on a 40 m elevation grid — a figure for ordering, not an absolute gradient. Source: swisstopo swissALTIRegio 2026.
Ranking
swisstopo · swissALTIRegio 2026| Rank | Municipality | Mean slope | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dardagny | 5.8° | 1'846 |
| 2 | Russin | 5.8° | 554 |
| 3 | Avully | 5.1° | 1'758 |
| 4 | Chancy | 5° | 1'653 |
| 5 | Cartigny | 4.4° | 1'063 |
| 6 | Vernier | 3.9° | 38'769 |
| 7 | Aire-la-Ville | 3.7° | 1'161 |
| 8 | Avusy | 3.7° | 1'425 |
| 9 | Satigny | 3.7° | 4'811 |
| 10 | Bernex | 3.4° | 11'134 |
| 11 | Onex | 3.4° | 19'101 |
| 12 | Lancy | 3.2° | 37'520 |
| 13 | Cologny | 3.1° | 6'147 |
| 14 | Confignon | 2.8° | 4'565 |
| 15 | Carouge | 2.7° | 22'783 |
| 16 | Bardonnex | 2.6° | 2'528 |
| 17 | Geneva | 2.6° | 211'152 |
| 18 | Plan-les-Ouates | 2.6° | 12'644 |
| 19 | Collex-Bossy | 2.5° | 1'673 |
| 20 | Soral | 2.5° | 935 |
| 21 | Vandœuvres | 2.5° | 3'087 |
| 22 | Chêne-Bougeries | 2.3° | 14'947 |
| 23 | Veyrier | 2.3° | 12'225 |
| 24 | Le Grand-Saconnex | 2.2° | 12'775 |
| 25 | Perly-Certoux | 2.1° | 3'296 |
| 26 | Pregny-Chambésy | 2.1° | 4'249 |
| 27 | Chêne-Bourg | 2° | 9'747 |
| 28 | Troinex | 2° | 3'358 |
| 29 | Choulex | 1.9° | 1'232 |
| 30 | Meyrin | 1.9° | 27'380 |
| 31 | Bellevue | 1.8° | 4'111 |
| 32 | Laconnex | 1.8° | 710 |
| 33 | Meinier | 1.8° | 2'108 |
| 34 | Versoix | 1.8° | 14'060 |
| 35 | Presinge | 1.7° | 714 |
| 36 | Corsier | 1.6° | 2'270 |
| 37 | Jussy | 1.6° | 1'253 |
| 38 | Collonge-Bellerive | 1.5° | 8'655 |
| 39 | Thônex | 1.4° | 16'940 |
| 40 | Anières | 1.3° | 2'589 |
| 41 | Céligny | 1.3° | 837 |
| 42 | Genthod | 1.3° | 2'814 |
| 43 | Hermance | 1.3° | 1'221 |
| 44 | Gy | 1.2° | 582 |
| 45 | Puplinge | 0.7° | 2'702 |
How we measure this
swisstopoThe mean slope of the terrain in degrees, averaged over the whole municipal area from the swisstopo swissALTIRegio digital elevation model at 40 m resolution (swissALTIRegio 2026). Two caveats matter. First, it describes the entire territory, not the inhabited settlement — a municipality can be steep overall while its village sits on flat ground. Second, slope depends on the grid it is measured at: at 40 m the figures run a few percent gentler than a 10 m grid, so use them to order municipalities, not as an absolute gradient. Steep terrain and large vertical range tend to coincide; see the greatest-vertical-range ranking.
Frequently asked questions
- Which municipality in canton Geneva has the steepest terrain?
- Dardagny, whose terrain averages 5.8° of slope (swissALTIRegio 2026) — the steepest of any municipality in canton Geneva, measured on the swisstopo 40 m elevation grid.
- Why is the slope measured at 40 m?
- Slope depends on the resolution of the elevation grid it is computed from. These figures use the swisstopo 40 m grid, which is stable and comparable across all municipalities; a finer 10 m grid would read a few percent steeper. The ranking order is reliable, but the degree value is not an absolute gradient.