Switzerland at its true size
Switzerland covers 41,291 km², number 132 of 194 countries by area. Home to 9,092,436 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 2.13× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 41,291 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 9,092,436 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 220 per km² |
| Capital | Bern |
| Local time in Bern | |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Swiss franc (CHF) Wikidata |
| Languages | German, French, Italian, Romansh |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Europe, Europe |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | Schengen AreaOECD |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +41 |
| Codes | CH · CHE · 756 |
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Where Switzerland ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#99 of 1949.1 million people#18 of 44 in Europe
- Population density#46 of 194220 people per km²#11 of 44 in Europe
- Urban population#30 of 19286% urban#11 of 43 in Europe
- Fertility rate#170 of 1921.29 births per woman#29 of 43 in Europe
- Population growth#99 of 192+0.96% a year#10 of 43 in Europe
- Birth rate#159 of 1928.7 births per 1,000 people#17 of 43 in Europe
- Death rate#70 of 1928.0 deaths per 1,000 people#35 of 43 in Europe
- Children under 15#165 of 19214.9% under 15#21 of 43 in Europe
- People over 65#29 of 19220.4% aged 65 and over#28 of 43 in Europe
- Net migration#24 of 192+4.1 per 1,000 people#12 of 43 in Europe
- Refugees abroad#174 of 1900.00 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#32 of 41 in Europe
Health & education
- Life expectancy#4 of 19284.4 years#3 of 43 in Europe
- Infant mortality#159 of 1913.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#15 of 42 in Europe
- Doctors#18 of 1784.48 doctors per 1,000 people#13 of 41 in Europe
- University enrolment#41 of 14573.5% gross enrolment#26 of 43 in Europe
- Human Development Index#2 of 190an index of 0.970#2 of 42 in Europe
Economy
- GNI per capita#1 of 185$110,330 a person#1 of 41 in Europe
- Internet users#15 of 18497% online#8 of 43 in Europe
- GDP per capita (PPP)#6 of 184$102,513 a person#4 of 41 in Europe
- GDP growth#148 of 187+1.3% a year#25 of 42 in Europe
- Inflation#160 of 176+0.2% a year#40 of 40 in Europe
- Unemployment#96 of 1784.9% of the labour force#24 of 39 in Europe
- Extreme poverty#126 of 1490.1% under $3.00 a day#27 of 39 in Europe
- Income inequality (Gini)#87 of 149a Gini index of 33.5#9 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in agriculture#155 of 1782.2% of jobs#30 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in industry#83 of 17819.6% of jobs#25 of 39 in Europe
- Jobs in services#21 of 17878.2% of jobs#10 of 39 in Europe
- Foreign investment#162 of 1840.0% of GDP#32 of 41 in Europe
- Exports#17 of 16878.1% of GDP#9 of 40 in Europe
- Military spending#131 of 1550.8% of GDP#34 of 39 in Europe
- Mobile subscriptions#54 of 191129 subscriptions per 100 people#16 of 43 in Europe
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#68 of 1853.75 tonnes a person#29 of 37 in Europe
- Forest area#98 of 19232% forest#28 of 43 in Europe
- Renewable energy#86 of 19027.7% renewable#16 of 41 in Europe
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 43 in Europe
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#167 of 1918.3 µg/m³#33 of 42 in Europe
- Protected land#135 of 19112.5% of the land protected#38 of 42 in Europe
- Arable land#101 of 19010.1% of the land arable#31 of 42 in Europe
- Water stress#108 of 1766.5% of its available fresh water#23 of 38 in Europe
- Precipitation#55 of 1801,537 mm a year#2 of 37 in Europe
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Switzerland’s area, lit up on the map →
- Netherlands0.98×Switzerland and Netherlands are almost exactly the same size.
- Denmark0.96×Switzerland is 4% smaller than Denmark.
- Bhutan1.08×Switzerland is 8% larger than Bhutan.
- Estonia0.91×Switzerland is 9% smaller than Estonia.
- Taiwan1.14×Switzerland is 14% larger than Taiwan.
- Guinea-Bissau1.14×Switzerland is 14% larger than Guinea-Bissau.
How many times does Switzerland fit into…
- Russia: about 414 times
- Canada: about 242 times
- United States: about 238 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Switzerland shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Rhine1,233 km
- Rhône812 km
Summits
- Monte Rosa Massif4,634 m
- Matterhorn4,478 m
- Finsteraarhorn4,274 m
- Grauspitz2,599 m
Lakes
- Lake Geneva581 km²
- Bodensee536 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Switzerland. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Switzerland
- How big is Switzerland?
- Switzerland covers 41,291 km², which makes it number 132 of 194 countries by area. About 9,092,436 people live there (2025), 220 per km².
- Is Switzerland bigger than Netherlands?
- Switzerland and Netherlands are almost exactly the same size. Switzerland: 41,291 km²; Netherlands: 42,201 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Switzerland?
- At about 47° latitude, Mercator stretches Switzerland to roughly 2.13× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border Switzerland?
- Switzerland shares a land border with France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Liechtenstein.