# Demographics of the Swiss Federal Council

The tables below show information and statistics about the members of the Swiss Federal Council (in German: Bundesrat, in French: conseil fédéral, in Italian: consiglio federale), or Federal Councilors (in German: Bundesräte, in French: conseillers fédéraux, in Italian: consiglieri federali).
The Swiss Federal Council (German: Schweizerischer Bundesrat, French: Conseil fédéral suisse, Italian: Consiglio federale svizzero, Romansh: Cussegl federal svizzer) is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the government as well as the head of state of Switzerland. Each of the seven Federal Councillors heads a department of the Swiss federal government. The members of the Federal Council are elected for a term of four years by both chambers of the federal parliament sitting together as the Federal Assembly. Each Councillor is elected individually by secret ballot by an absolute majority of votes. Since 1848, the seven Councillors have never been replaced simultaneously, thus guaranteeing a continuity of the government.
Once elected for a four-year-term, Federal Councillors can neither be voted out of office by a motion of no confidence nor can they be impeached. Reelection is possible for an indefinite number of terms, and it has historically been extremely rare for Parliament not to reelect a sitting Councillor and this has only happened four times. In practice, therefore, Councillors serve until they decide to resign and retire to private life, usually after three to five terms of office.

## Parties

| Parties | Members |
| FDP/PRD (Freisinnige, parti radical) | 67 |
| LPS/PLS | 1 |
| CVP/PDC (formerly KVP) | 20 |
| SVP/UDC (formerly BGB/PAI) | 10 |
| SPS/PSS | 12 |

## Time in office

The following tables do not include councilors currently in office.
Longest Time in Office :
| Years | Name | Term |
| 31 | Karl Schenk | 1863–1895 |
| 29 | Adolf Deucher | 1883–1912 |
| 28 | Giuseppe Motta | 1911–1940 |
| 27 | Wilhelm Matthias Naeff | 1848–1875 |
| 25 | Emil Welti | 1866–1891 |
| | Philipp Etter | 1934–1959 |
| 24 | Eduard Müller | 1895–1919 |
| 22 | Edmund Schulthess | 1912–1935 |
| 20 | Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel | 1855–1875 |
Shortest Time in Office :
| Years | Name | Term |
| 1 | Louis Perrier | 1912–1913 |
| | Rudolf Friedrich | 1982–1984 |
| 2 | Gustave Ador | 1917–1919 |
| | Jean Bourgknecht | 1959–1962 |
| | Max Weber | 1951–1954 |
| | Victor Ruffy | 1867–1869 |
| 3 | Eugène Borel | 1872–1875 |
| | Joachim Heer | 1875–1878 |
| | Josef Anton Schobinger | 1908–1911 |
| 4 | Christoph Blocher | 2003–2007 |
| | Alphons Egli | 1983–1986 |
| | Elisabeth Kopp | 1984–1989 |
| | Josef Escher | 1950–1954 |
| | Ruth Metzler | 1999–2003 |
| 5 | Ernst Wetter | 1938–1943 |
| | Fridolin Anderwert | 1875–1880 |
| | Fritz Honegger | 1977–1982 |
| | Giuseppe Lepori | 1954–1959 |
| | Hermann Obrecht | 1935–1940 |
| | Paul Cérésole | 1870–1875 |
| | René Felber | 1987–1993 |
| | Thomas Holenstein | 1955–1959 |

## Age (oldest and youngest)

Age when elected :
| Age | Name | Elected |
| 72 | Gustave Ador | 1917 |
| 65 | Josef Escher | 1950 |
| 63 | Louis Perrier | 1912 |
| | Christoph Blocher | 2003 |
| 62 | Ernest Chuard | 1919 |
| 61 | Ernst Wetter | 1938 |
| | Hans Streuli | 1953 |
| | Pierre Graber | 1969 |
| | Hans-Rudolf Merz | 2004 |
| 60 | Fritz Honegger | 1977 |
| | Johannes Baumann | 1934 |
| 39 | Eugène Ruffy | 1893 |
| | Jakob Dubs | 1861 |
| | Marcel Pilet-Golaz | 1928 |
| 38 | Paul Cérésole | 1870 |
| 37 | Ulrich Ochsenbein | 1848 |
| 36 | Constant Fornerod | 1855 |
| | Eugène Borel | 1872 |
| 35 | Ruth Metzler | 1999 |
| 34 | Jakob Stämpfli | 1854 |
| 31 | Numa Droz | 1875 |
Age when resigning/dying in office :
| Age | Name | Year |
| 81 | Adolf Deucher | 1912 |
| 74 | Gustave Ador | 1919 |
| 73 | Joseph Zemp | 1908 |
| | Wilhelm Matthias Naeff | 1875 |
| 72 | Ludwig Forrer | 1917 |
| 71 | Karl Schenk | 1895 |
| | Ernest Chuard | 1928 |
| 70 | Eduard Müller | 1919 |
| | Eduard von Steiger | 1951 |
| 50 | Adrien Lachenal | 1899 |
| 49 | Jakob Dubs | 1872 |
| 48 | Constant Fornerod | 1867 |
| | Numa Droz | 1892 |
| 46 | Victor Ruffy | 1869 |
| 43 | Jakob Stämpfli | 1863 |
| | Paul Cérésole | 1875 |
| | Ulrich Ochsenbein | 1854 |
| 40 | Eugène Borel | 1875 |
| 39 | Ruth Metzler | 2004 |

## Lifespan

Years alive after resigning from office :
| Years | Name | Died |
| 36 | Ulrich Ochsenbein | 1890 |
| 35 | Hans Schaffner | 2004 |
| 34 | Elisabeth Kopp | 2023 |
| 33 | Max Petitpierre | 1994 |
| 32 | Constant Fornerod | 1899 |
| | Felix-Louis Calonder | 1952 |
| 30 | Enrico Celio | 1980 |
| | Paul Cérésole | 1905 |
| 29 | Hans-Peter Tschudi | 2002 |
| | Alphons Egli | 2016 |
Longest living members of the Swiss Federal Council :
| Age | Name | Died |
| 95 | Hans Schaffner | 2004 |
| | Max Petitpierre | 1994 |
| 94 | Pierre Graber | 2003 |
| 91 | Alphons Egli | 2016 |
| 90 | Enrico Celio | 1980 |
| | Rudolf Friedrich | 2013 |
| | Arnold Koller | Living |
| 88 | Felix-Louis Calonder | 1952 |
| | Hans-Peter Tschudi | 2002 |
| | Willy Spühler | 1990 |
| | Pierre Aubert | 2016 |