Val de Bagnes

Created from the merger of Bagnes and Vollèges, the municipality of Val de Bagnes is the fourth largest municipality in Switzerland with an area of 302 km2 (according to data from the Federal Statistical Office). It is larger than the cantons of Schaffhausen (298 km2), Geneva (282 km2) and Zug (238 km2).

Over the last two centuries, three distinct phases can be identified in the evolution of the population. The first half of the 19th century was characterised by strong growth. This was followed by a decline, which was initially very slight but eventually led to a sharp drop in population in the 1920s. This downward trend was only reversed at the end of the Second World War, when a rapid recovery began, which has been confirmed year after year since 1990.

The municipality of Val de Bagnes now has over 10,000 inhabitants. The proportion of residents of foreign origin grew particularly significantly between 2000 and 2016. It is now above the Valais and Swiss averages, which was not the case previously. There are 65 different nationalities represented in the municipality.