Germany vs Switzerland
Germany is 8.66 times larger than Switzerland. Switzerland would fit into Germany about 8.7 times.
GermanySwitzerlandGermany moved onto Switzerland · Equal-area projection
8.66×
Germany is 8.66× the area of Switzerland.
 Germany |  Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaGermany: 8.66× the area | 357,588 km²#63 of 194 | 41,291 km²#132 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 9 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGermany: 9.18× the population | 83,491,249#19 of 194 · 2025 | 9,092,436#99 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGermany: 1.06× the density | 233 / km²#44 of 194 | 220 / km²#46 of 194 |
| Urban populationSwitzerland: 1.04× the urban share | 82%#37 of 192 · 2025 | 86%#30 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGermany: 1.05× the births per woman | 1.36 per woman#164 of 192 · 2024 | 1.29 per woman#170 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSwitzerland: 0.99 points higher | −0.03%#156 of 192 · 2025 | +0.96%#99 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSwitzerland: 1.07× the birth rate | 8.1 per 1,000#169 of 192 · 2024 | 8.7 per 1,000#159 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateGermany: 1.51× the death rate | 12.1 per 1,000#16 of 192 · 2024 | 8.0 per 1,000#70 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Switzerland: 1.0 points higher | 13.9%#178 of 192 · 2025 | 14.9%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Germany: 3.3 points higher | 23.7%#7 of 192 · 2025 | 20.4%#29 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSwitzerland: 8.1 per 1,000 higher | −4.0 per 1,000#169 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: 3.6 years longer | 80.8 years#39 of 192 · 2024 | 84.4 years#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySwitzerland: 1.1× the infant mortality | 3.1 per 1,000 births#164 of 191 · 2024 | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsAbout as many doctors per person | 4.53 per 1,000#15 of 178 · 2022 | 4.48 per 1,000#18 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentGermany: 1.04× the university enrolment | 76.7%#34 of 145 · 2024 | 73.5%#41 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexSwitzerland: 0.011 higher | 0.959#5 of 190 · 2023 | 0.970#2 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSwitzerland: 1.83× the income per person | $60,200#14 of 185 · 2025 | $110,330#1 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGermany: 4.84× the economy | $5.05T2025 | $1.04T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Switzerland: 1.36× the output per person | $75,407#17 of 184 · 2025 | $102,513#6 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthSwitzerland: 1.1 points higher | +0.2%#172 of 187 · 2025 | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGermany: 2.0 points higher | +2.2%#113 of 176 · 2025 | +0.2%#160 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentSwitzerland: 1.32× the unemployment | 3.7%#118 of 178 · 2025 | 4.9%#96 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyGermany: 7.0× the share in extreme poverty | 0.7%#98 of 149 · 2022 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Germany: 0.2 higher | 33.7#84 of 149 · 2022 | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureSwitzerland: 1.1 points higher | 1.1% of jobs#169 of 178 · 2025 | 2.2% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGermany: 6.4 points higher | 26.0% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 | 19.6% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSwitzerland: 5.2 points higher | 73.0% of jobs#38 of 178 · 2025 | 78.2% of jobs#21 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGermany: 1.9 points higher | 1.9% of GDP#96 of 184 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSwitzerland: 37.7 points higher | 40.4% of GDP#70 of 168 · 2025 | 78.1% of GDP#17 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingGermany: 2.99× the military spending | 2.3% of GDP#50 of 155 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#131 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersSwitzerland: 1.04× the share online | 94%#36 of 184 · 2024 | 97%#15 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAbout as many mobile subscriptions | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 | 129 per 100#54 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaAbout the same forest share | 33% of land#97 of 192 · 2024 | 32% of land#98 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGermany: 1.85× the CO₂ per person | 6.94 t a year#32 of 185 · 2024 | 3.75 t a year#68 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySwitzerland: 10.1 points higher | 17.6%#115 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)Germany: 1.06× the air pollution | 8.8 µg/m³#162 of 191 · 2023 | 8.3 µg/m³#167 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGermany: 26.7 points higher | 39.2% of land#14 of 191 · 2025 | 12.5% of land#135 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landGermany: 23.3 points higher | 33.4% of land#21 of 190 · 2024 | 10.1% of land#101 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressGermany: 5.45× the water stress | 35.4%#47 of 176 · 2022 | 6.5%#108 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSwitzerland: 2.2× the rain and snow | 700 mm#113 of 180 · 2022 | 1,537 mm#55 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySwitzerland: 0.91 higher | +0.21#85 of 193 · 2025 | +1.12#28 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSwitzerland: 0.30 higher | +1.68#13 of 193 · 2025 | +1.98#3 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateGermany: 1.5× the homicide rate | 0.9 per 100,000#110 of 146 · 2023 | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic | Parliamentary republicfederal republic (formally a confederation) |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD, G7, G20 | Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Berlin | Bern |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Swiss franc (CHF) |
| Official languages | German | 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 | +49 | +41 |
| Region | Western 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. Germany sits at about 51° N and is stretched to 2.53× its true area; Switzerland at 47° N is stretched to 2.13×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Germany bigger than Switzerland?
- Yes. Germany is 8.66 times larger than Switzerland. Germany covers 357,588 km² and Switzerland covers 41,291 km².
- How many times does Switzerland fit into Germany?
- About 8.7 times: Germany has 8.66× the area of Switzerland.
- Why do Germany and Switzerland look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Germany is drawn about 2.53× its true area there and Switzerland about 2.13×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Germany or Switzerland?
- Germany: 83,491,249 people against 9,092,436. Density: Germany 233 per km², Switzerland 220 per km².
- Which is richer, Germany or Switzerland?
- By gross national income per person, Switzerland: $110,330 against $60,200 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.83× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Germany or Switzerland?
- In Switzerland: life expectancy at birth is 84.4 years, against 80.8 — 3.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Germany and Switzerland have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: parliamentary republic (CIA World Factbook).