Building age in the canton of Basel-Stadt

Canton of Basel-Stadt, 3 municipalities

Building register (GWR) export of September 2026, parcel data of July 2025.

Key figures

Parcels with a building: 19’685; 19’629 of them with a known construction year

Median construction year: 1936Switzerland: 1976

Median building age: 90 yearsSwitzerland: 50 years

Built 1960 or earlier: 71.8%Switzerland: 32.5%

Built after 2000: 5.9%Switzerland: 23.3%

About the building stock in the canton of Basel-Stadt

The parcel data lists 19’685 parcels with a building in the canton of Basel-Stadt. For 19’629 of them (99.7%) the federal building register (GWR) gives a construction year, taken from the newest building on the parcel. The median construction year is 1936, so the median parcel with a building is 90 years old. 71.8% of the parcels with a known year were built in 1960 or earlier and 5.9% after 2000. The largest period is 1920-1945 with 31.3%. For comparison, the median construction year is 1976 in Switzerland. 56 parcels with a building have no usable construction year and are left out of the shares.

Construction-year histogram

Parcels with a building by construction period, as a share of the 19’629 parcels with a known year. The periods are not equally long, so read the bars as shares of the stock, not as building activity per year.

24.6%before 1920: 24.6%, 4’829 parcels
31.3%1920-1945: 31.3%, 6’136 parcels
15.9%1946-1960: 15.9%, 3’120 parcels
15.5%1961-1980: 15.5%, 3’036 parcels
6.9%1981-2000: 6.9%, 1’349 parcels
2.6%2001-2010: 2.6%, 511 parcels
2.2%2011-2020: 2.2%, 431 parcels
1.1%2021 and later: 1.1%, 217 parcels

Building age distribution

The same parcels grouped by the age of their newest building in 2026.

66 years or older (built 1960 or earlier)71.8%14’085 parcels
46 to 65 years (built 1961-1980)15.5%3’036 parcels
26 to 45 years (built 1981-2000)6.9%1’349 parcels
Up to 25 years (built 2001 or later)5.9%1’159 parcels

How to read these figures

The parcel data links every parcel to the federal building register (GWR). A parcel counts once, with the construction year of its newest building. Where the register gives only a construction period, the middle of the period is used.

The figures count parcels with a building, not individual buildings. A parcel with several buildings counts once, and a parcel without a building is not counted.

Building age is 2026 minus the construction year. Every share divides by the parcels with a known construction year.

Municipalities in the canton of Basel-Stadt

Municipality	Parcels with a year	Median year	1960 or earlier	After 2000
Basel	15’698	1932	78.2%	4.5%
Riehen	3’583	1962	47.8%	11.3%
Bettingen	348	1972	25.9%	14.1%

See it on the map

roots colors every parcel by construction year, from deep red for the oldest buildings to pale cream for the newest.

Open the roots map in the canton of Basel-Stadt

Parcels and building zones Basel-Stadt in geopool