Bhutan vs Switzerland
Switzerland is 8% larger than Bhutan.
BhutanSwitzerlandBhutan moved onto Switzerland · Equal-area projection
0.93×
Bhutan is 0.93× the area of Switzerland. Put the other way, Switzerland is 1.08× the size of Bhutan.
 Bhutan |  Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSwitzerland: 1.08× the area | 38,394 km²#133 of 194 | 41,291 km²#132 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSwitzerland: 11.4× the population | 796,682#162 of 194 · 2025 | 9,092,436#99 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySwitzerland: 10.6× the density | 21 / km²#164 of 194 | 220 / km²#46 of 194 |
| Urban populationSwitzerland: 1.97× the urban share | 43%#143 of 192 · 2025 | 86%#30 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBhutan: 1.12× the births per woman | 1.45 per woman#146 of 192 · 2024 | 1.29 per woman#170 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSwitzerland: 0.31 points higher | +0.65%#116 of 192 · 2025 | +0.96%#99 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBhutan: 1.44× the birth rate | 12.5 per 1,000#108 of 192 · 2024 | 8.7 per 1,000#159 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSwitzerland: 1.31× the death rate | 6.1 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2024 | 8.0 per 1,000#70 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Bhutan: 5.5 points higher | 20.4%#114 of 192 · 2025 | 14.9%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Switzerland: 13.8 points higher | 6.6%#107 of 192 · 2025 | 20.4%#29 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSwitzerland: 3.5 per 1,000 higher | +0.6 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2025 | +4.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 9.11 per 1,000#20 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySwitzerland: 11.1 years longer | 73.3 years#102 of 192 · 2024 | 84.4 years#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBhutan: 4.03× the infant mortality | 13.7 per 1,000 births#91 of 191 · 2024 | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsSwitzerland: 8.15× the doctors per person | 0.55 per 1,000#124 of 178 · 2022 | 4.48 per 1,000#18 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentSwitzerland: 5.65× the university enrolment | 13.0%#126 of 145 · 2024 | 73.5%#41 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexSwitzerland: 0.272 higher | 0.698#124 of 190 · 2023 | 0.970#2 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSwitzerland: 25.6× the income per person | $4,310#123 of 185 · 2025 | $110,330#1 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSwitzerland: 292× the economy | $3.58B2025 | $1.04T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Switzerland: 5.23× the output per person | $19,594#96 of 184 · 2025 | $102,513#6 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBhutan: 6.7 points higher | +8.0%#11 of 187 · 2025 | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBhutan: 3.4 points higher | +3.6%#71 of 176 · 2025 | +0.2%#160 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentSwitzerland: 1.53× the unemployment | 3.2%#133 of 178 · 2025 | 4.9%#96 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2022 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Switzerland: 5.0 higher | 28.5#129 of 149 · 2022 | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBhutan: 40.2 points higher | 42.4% of jobs#36 of 178 · 2025 | 2.2% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySwitzerland: 3.7 points higher | 15.9% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 | 19.6% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSwitzerland: 36.4 points higher | 41.8% of jobs#142 of 178 · 2025 | 78.2% of jobs#21 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBhutan: 0.2 points higher | 0.2% of GDP#156 of 184 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSwitzerland: 46.6 points higher | 31.5% of GDP#97 of 168 · 2024 | 78.1% of GDP#17 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 0.8% of GDP#131 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersSwitzerland: 1.07× the share online | 91%#47 of 184 · 2024 | 97%#15 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSwitzerland: 1.29× the mobile subscriptions | 100 per 100#127 of 191 · 2024 | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBhutan: 2.2× the forest share | 70% of land#15 of 192 · 2024 | 32% of land#98 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personSwitzerland: 1.87× the CO₂ per person | 2.01 t a year#103 of 185 · 2024 | 3.75 t a year#68 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBhutan: 54.8 points higher | 82.5%#12 of 190 · 2022 | 27.7%#86 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Bhutan: 3.63× the air pollution | 30.1 µg/m³#49 of 191 · 2023 | 8.3 µg/m³#167 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBhutan: 39.1 points higher | 51.6% of land#3 of 191 · 2025 | 12.5% of land#135 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSwitzerland: 7.5 points higher | 2.6% of land#154 of 190 · 2024 | 10.1% of land#101 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSwitzerland: 4.64× the water stress | 1.4%#157 of 176 · 2022 | 6.5%#108 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBhutan: 1.43× the rain and snow | 2,200 mm#24 of 180 · 2022 | 1,537 mm#55 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBhutan: 0.27 higher | +1.39#7 of 193 · 2025 | +1.12#28 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSwitzerland: 0.51 higher | +1.47#19 of 193 · 2025 | +1.98#3 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBhutan: 4.17× the homicide rate | 2.5 per 100,000#68 of 146 · 2020 | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchy | Parliamentary republicfederal republic (formally a confederation) |
| Member of | — | Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Thimphu | Bern |
| Currency | Ngultrum (BTN) | Swiss franc (CHF) |
| Official languages | Dzongkha | German, French, Italian, Romansh |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+6 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +975 | +41 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Western Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Bhutan sits at about 27° N and is stretched to 1.27× its true area; Switzerland at 47° N is stretched to 2.13×. That difference is why Switzerland looks so much bigger than it is next to Bhutan. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Bhutan bigger than Switzerland?
- No. Bhutan is 7% smaller than Switzerland. Bhutan covers 38,394 km² and Switzerland covers 41,291 km².
- How many times does Bhutan fit into Switzerland?
- About 1.1 times: Switzerland has 1.08× the area of Bhutan.
- Why do Bhutan and Switzerland look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Bhutan is drawn about 1.27× its true area there and Switzerland about 2.13×. That is why Switzerland looks so much bigger than it really is next to Bhutan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Bhutan or Switzerland?
- Switzerland: 9,092,436 people against 796,682. Density: Bhutan 21 per km², Switzerland 220 per km².
- Which is richer, Bhutan or Switzerland?
- By gross national income per person, Switzerland: $110,330 against $4,310 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 25.6× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Bhutan or Switzerland?
- In Switzerland: life expectancy at birth is 84.4 years, against 73.3 — 11.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Bhutan and Switzerland have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Bhutan: constitutional monarchy; Switzerland: parliamentary republic.