Netherlands vs Switzerland
Netherlands and Switzerland are almost exactly the same size.
NetherlandsSwitzerlandNetherlands moved onto Switzerland · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
1.02×
Netherlands is 1.02× the area of Switzerland.
 Netherlands |  Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 42,201 km²#131 of 194 | 41,291 km²#132 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNetherlands: 1.99× the population | 18,087,633#72 of 194 · 2025 | 9,092,436#99 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNetherlands: 1.95× the density | 429 / km²#21 of 194 | 220 / km²#46 of 194 |
| Urban populationNetherlands: 1.12× the urban share | 96%#8 of 192 · 2025 | 86%#30 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNetherlands: 1.11× the births per woman | 1.43 per woman#151 of 192 · 2024 | 1.29 per woman#170 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSwitzerland: 0.44 points higher | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 | +0.96%#99 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNetherlands: 1.06× the birth rate | 9.2 per 1,000#154 of 192 · 2024 | 8.7 per 1,000#159 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNetherlands: 1.2× the death rate | 9.6 per 1,000#43 of 192 · 2024 | 8.0 per 1,000#70 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15The same | 14.9%#165 of 192 · 2025 | 14.9%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Netherlands: 0.5 points higher | 20.9%#24 of 192 · 2025 | 20.4%#29 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNetherlands: 1.7 per 1,000 higher | +5.8 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2025 | +4.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySwitzerland: 2.4 years longer | 82.0 years#29 of 192 · 2024 | 84.4 years#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsSwitzerland: 1.15× the doctors per person | 3.88 per 1,000#34 of 178 · 2022 | 4.48 per 1,000#18 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentNetherlands: 1.18× the university enrolment | 86.6%#15 of 145 · 2023 | 73.5%#41 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexSwitzerland: 0.015 higher | 0.955#8 of 190 · 2023 | 0.970#2 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSwitzerland: 1.61× the income per person | $68,530#10 of 185 · 2025 | $110,330#1 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPNetherlands: 1.28× the economy | $1.33T2025 | $1.04T2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Switzerland: 1.17× the output per person | $87,320#10 of 184 · 2025 | $102,513#6 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNetherlands: 0.5 points higher | +1.8%#137 of 187 · 2025 | +1.3%#148 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNetherlands: 3.0 points higher | +3.2%#86 of 176 · 2025 | +0.2%#160 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentSwitzerland: 1.26× the unemployment | 3.9%#114 of 178 · 2025 | 4.9%#96 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyAbout the same share in extreme poverty | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2021 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Switzerland: 7.8 higher | 25.7#142 of 149 · 2021 | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureSwitzerland: 0.5 points higher | 1.7% of jobs#161 of 178 · 2025 | 2.2% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySwitzerland: 5.8 points higher | 13.8% of jobs#145 of 178 · 2025 | 19.6% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNetherlands: 6.3 points higher | 84.5% of jobs#4 of 178 · 2025 | 78.2% of jobs#21 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNetherlands: 0.3 points higher | 0.3% of GDP#154 of 184 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNetherlands: 2.6 points higher | 80.7% of GDP#12 of 168 · 2025 | 78.1% of GDP#17 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingNetherlands: 2.88× the military spending | 2.2% of GDP#52 of 155 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#131 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAbout the same share online | 97%#17 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 areaSwitzerland: 2.91× the forest share | 11% of land#153 of 192 · 2024 | 32% of land#98 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNetherlands: 1.76× the CO₂ per person | 6.60 t a year#34 of 185 · 2024 | 3.75 t a year#68 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySwitzerland: 15.5 points higher | 12.2%#130 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)Netherlands: 1.04× the air pollution | 8.6 µg/m³#164 of 191 · 2023 | 8.3 µg/m³#167 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNetherlands: 10.4 points higher | 22.9% of land#60 of 191 · 2025 | 12.5% of land#135 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNetherlands: 19.7 points higher | 29.8% of land#29 of 190 · 2024 | 10.1% of land#101 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNetherlands: 2.57× the water stress | 16.7%#72 of 176 · 2022 | 6.5%#108 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSwitzerland: 1.98× the rain and snow | 778 mm#108 of 180 · 2022 | 1,537 mm#55 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySwitzerland: 0.59 higher | +0.53#68 of 193 · 2025 | +1.12#28 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSwitzerland: 0.11 higher | +1.87#9 of 193 · 2025 | +1.98#3 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNetherlands: 1.17× the homicide rate | 0.7 per 100,000#123 of 146 · 2023 | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | Parliamentary republicfederal republic (formally a confederation) |
| Member of | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD | Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Amsterdam | Bern |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Swiss franc (CHF) |
| Official languages | Dutch | 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 | +31 | +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. Netherlands sits at about 52° N and is stretched to 2.67× its true area; Switzerland at 47° N is stretched to 2.13×. That difference is why Netherlands 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 Netherlands bigger than Switzerland?
- Yes. Netherlands and Switzerland are almost exactly the same size. Netherlands covers 42,201 km² and Switzerland covers 41,291 km².
- How many times does Switzerland fit into Netherlands?
- About 1.0 times: Netherlands has 1.02× the area of Switzerland.
- Why do Netherlands and Switzerland look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Netherlands is drawn about 2.67× its true area there and Switzerland about 2.13×. That is why Netherlands 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, Netherlands or Switzerland?
- Netherlands: 18,087,633 people against 9,092,436. Density: Netherlands 429 per km², Switzerland 220 per km².
- Which is richer, Netherlands or Switzerland?
- By gross national income per person, Switzerland: $110,330 against $68,530 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.61× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Netherlands or Switzerland?
- In Switzerland: life expectancy at birth is 84.4 years, against 82.0 — 2.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Netherlands and Switzerland have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Netherlands: constitutional monarchy; Switzerland: parliamentary republic.