Denmark vs Switzerland
Denmark is 4% larger than Switzerland.
DenmarkSwitzerlandDenmark moved onto Switzerland · Equal-area projection
1.04×
Denmark is 1.04× the area of Switzerland.
 Denmark |  Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaDenmark: 1.04× the area | 42,925 km²#130 of 194 | 41,291 km²#132 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSwitzerland: 1.51× the population | 6,009,169#114 of 194 · 2025 | 9,092,436#99 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySwitzerland: 1.57× the density | 140 / km²#63 of 194 | 220 / km²#46 of 194 |
| Urban populationDenmark: 1.04× the urban share | 89%#24 of 192 · 2025 | 86%#30 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateDenmark: 1.14× the births per woman | 1.47 per woman#141 of 192 · 2024 | 1.29 per woman#170 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSwitzerland: 0.42 points higher | +0.54%#124 of 192 · 2025 | +0.96%#99 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateDenmark: 1.09× the birth rate | 9.5 per 1,000#150 of 192 · 2024 | 8.7 per 1,000#159 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateDenmark: 1.19× the death rate | 9.5 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 8.0 per 1,000#70 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Denmark: 0.7 points higher | 15.6%#155 of 192 · 2025 | 14.9%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Denmark: 0.7 points higher | 21.1%#21 of 192 · 2025 | 20.4%#29 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSwitzerland: 0.4 per 1,000 higher | +3.7 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2025 | +4.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySwitzerland: 2.1 years longer | 82.3 years#24 of 192 · 2024 | 84.4 years#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 3.5 per 1,000 births#158 of 191 · 2024 | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsAbout as many doctors per person | 4.50 per 1,000#17 of 178 · 2021 | 4.48 per 1,000#18 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentDenmark: 1.07× the university enrolment | 79.0%#28 of 145 · 2024 | 73.5%#41 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexSwitzerland: 0.008 higher | 0.962#4 of 190 · 2023 | 0.970#2 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSwitzerland: 1.43× the income per person | $77,190#8 of 185 · 2025 | $110,330#1 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSwitzerland: 2.26× the economy | $462.53B2025 | $1.04T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Switzerland: 1.23× the output per person | $83,218#12 of 184 · 2025 | $102,513#6 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthDenmark: 1.6 points higher | +2.9%#104 of 187 · 2025 | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationDenmark: 1.7 points higher | +1.9%#122 of 176 · 2025 | +0.2%#160 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentDenmark: 1.12× the unemployment | 5.5%#78 of 178 · 2025 | 4.9%#96 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyDenmark: 4.0× the share in extreme poverty | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2023 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Switzerland: 3.6 higher | 29.9#120 of 149 · 2023 | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureSwitzerland: 0.6 points higher | 1.6% of jobs#162 of 178 · 2025 | 2.2% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySwitzerland: 0.8 points higher | 18.8% of jobs#93 of 178 · 2025 | 19.6% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesDenmark: 1.4 points higher | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 | 78.2% of jobs#21 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentDenmark: 3.7 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSwitzerland: 8.0 points higher | 70.1% of GDP#25 of 168 · 2025 | 78.1% of GDP#17 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingDenmark: 4.28× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#23 of 155 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#131 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 100%#5 of 184 · 2024 | 97%#15 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 127 per 100#59 of 191 · 2024 | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSwitzerland: 2.0× the forest share | 16% of land#132 of 192 · 2024 | 32% of land#98 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personDenmark: 1.14× the CO₂ per person | 4.28 t a year#55 of 185 · 2024 | 3.75 t a year#68 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyDenmark: 11.8 points higher | 39.5%#61 of 190 · 2021 | 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)Switzerland: 1.11× the air pollution | 7.5 µg/m³#170 of 191 · 2023 | 8.3 µg/m³#167 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landDenmark: 3.9 points higher | 16.4% of land#104 of 191 · 2025 | 12.5% of land#135 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landDenmark: 48.8 points higher | 58.9% of land#2 of 190 · 2024 | 10.1% of land#101 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressDenmark: 3.89× the water stress | 25.3%#60 of 176 · 2022 | 6.5%#108 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSwitzerland: 2.19× the rain and snow | 703 mm#112 of 180 · 2022 | 1,537 mm#55 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySwitzerland: 0.33 higher | +0.79#51 of 193 · 2025 | +1.12#28 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionDenmark: 0.28 higher | +2.26#1 of 193 · 2025 | +1.98#3 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateDenmark: 1.33× the homicide rate | 0.8 per 100,000#117 of 146 · 2023 | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | Parliamentary republicfederal republic (formally a confederation) |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Schengen Area, OECD | Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Copenhagen | Bern |
| Currency | Danish krone (DKK) | Swiss franc (CHF) |
| Official languages | Danish | German, French, Italian, Romansh |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +45 | +41 |
| Region | Northern Europe, Europe | 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. Denmark sits at about 56° N and is stretched to 3.19× its true area; Switzerland at 47° N is stretched to 2.13×. That difference is why Denmark looks so much bigger than it is next to Switzerland. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Denmark bigger than Switzerland?
- Yes. Denmark is 4% larger than Switzerland. Denmark covers 42,925 km² and Switzerland covers 41,291 km².
- How many times does Switzerland fit into Denmark?
- About 1.0 times: Denmark has 1.04× the area of Switzerland.
- Why do Denmark and Switzerland look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Denmark is drawn about 3.19× its true area there and Switzerland about 2.13×. That is why Denmark looks so much bigger than it really is next to Switzerland. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Denmark or Switzerland?
- Switzerland: 9,092,436 people against 6,009,169. Density: Denmark 140 per km², Switzerland 220 per km².
- Which is richer, Denmark or Switzerland?
- By gross national income per person, Switzerland: $110,330 against $77,190 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.43× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Denmark or Switzerland?
- In Switzerland: life expectancy at birth is 84.4 years, against 82.3 — 2.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Denmark and Switzerland have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Denmark: constitutional monarchy; Switzerland: parliamentary republic.