Overview

• In 2025, measurements on about 20 glaciers extrapolated to roughly 1,400 indicate a 3% volume drop driven by scarce winter snow and summer heatwaves.
• The 2025 decline ranks as the fourth‑largest annual retreat since records began, trailing 2022, 2023 and 2003.
• Glamos estimates end‑2025 glacier volume at 45.1 km3 and area at 755 km2, with volume down 30 km3 and area down 30% compared with 2000.
• Researchers report an accelerating melt rate, with MeteoSwiss noting Switzerland is warming at about twice the global average.
• Glacier retreat is straining freshwater supplies and hydropower and destabilizing mountains, with Glamos linking recent instability to the destruction of Blatten; if global CO2 emissions persist at current levels, nearly all Swiss glaciers could disappear by 2100.