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Switzerland

Swiss Confederation · Western Europe

Position of Switzerland on a world map

At a glance

CapitalBern
Most common first languageGerman62.1% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languagesGerman, French, Italian +1 more
CurrencySwiss franc
Drives on theright
Highest pointDufourspitze4,634 m
Biggest category of goods exportedmanufactured goods68% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports24.1%of everything sold abroad, 2025
CoastlineLandlockedno access to the sea
Internet domain.ch

Facts about Switzerland

Switzerland has four official languages, and its stamps use a Latin name to avoid choosing between them.

Source: Helvetia; Swiss Federal Constitution Art. 4 · checked 2026-08-08

Switzerland’s people eat the most chocolate each year.

Source: chocosuisse.ch · checked 2026-08-08

Switzerland earns more from watch exports by value than any other, despite shipping far fewer units than its Asian rivals.

Source: aboutswitzerland.eda.admin.ch · checked 2026-08-08

Switzerland by the numbers

Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.

MeasureValueRank
PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year.9.09m (2025)98th
of 209
GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices.$1.04tn (2025)20th
of 203
Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory.39.5k km² (2023)132nd
of 209
Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations.$6.72bn (2024)37th
of 151
Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined.$815bn (2025)14th
of 180
Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents.11.6m (2024)86th
of 205
Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive.12.8k km² (2023)115th
of 203
Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture.14.9k km² (2023)129th
of 206
COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes.34 Mt (2024)67th
of 198
Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them.7.79m (2025)79th
of 209
Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed.84.4 years (2024)5th
of 209
GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population.$114,769 (2025)6th
of 205
Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months.97.3% (2025)15th
of 191
InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods.0.2% (2025)166th
of 182
UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one.4.9% (2025)103rd
of 185
Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas.85.7% (2025)40th
of 209
Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates.1.29 (2024)184th
of 209
Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces.0.72% of GDP (2024)133rd
of 155
Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies.147.2% of GDP (2025)22nd
of 183
COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population.3.71 t (2024)77th
of 198
Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1.0.970 (2023)3rd
of 193

Land borders

🇦🇹 Austria🇫🇷 France🇩🇪 Germany🇮🇹 Italy🇱🇮 Liechtenstein

Switzerland shares these with other countries

Drives on the right 149Is landlocked 43Has german as its most common first language 4Has french as an official language 28Has german as an official language 6Has italian as an official language 3Uses the swiss franc 2Is a member of the schengen area 28Mainly exports manufactured goods 83Is in western europe 8

Switzerland in the Daily Ceteris

Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is Switzerland.

Which country's people eat the most chocolate each year?

The Swiss get through about 10.3 kg each a year, roughly a hundred standard bars. Four of those kilos are imported — even in Switzerland people do not only eat Swiss chocolate — and consumption has been sliding as cocoa prices climb. source

In which country does the average adult own the most wealth?

The average Swiss adult owns about $910,000 in savings, property and investments — more than anywhere else, and roughly a third more than the average American. Averages flatter the rich, though: measured by the typical person rather than the mean, Luxembourg and Belgium rank alongside or above. source

Which country earns more from watch exports by value than any other, despite shipping far fewer units than its Asian rivals?

It exports a fraction of the watches China and Hong Kong ship out, but a focus on high-margin luxury brands means it still leads the world in export value — quality over quantity as an export strategy. source

In which country does a Big Mac cost the most, in dollar terms?

A Swiss Big Mac costs $9.08 — nearly half as much again as one in the United States, at $6.12. Second place goes not to another rich country but to Uruguay at $8.76, a reminder that the index measures currency valuation and local costs, not national wealth. source

Keep going

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Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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