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Europe
Page last updated: July 25, 2023
The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. A constitution of 1848, subsequently modified in 1874 to allow voters to introduce referenda on proposed laws, replaced the confederation with a centralized federal government. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.
Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
47 00 N, 8 00 E
Europe
Total: 41,277 sq km
Land: 39,997 sq km
Water: 1,280 sq km
Slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Area comparison map:
Total: 1,770 km
Border countries (5): Austria 158 km; France 525 km; Italy 698 km; Liechtenstein 41 km; Germany 348 km
0 km (landlocked)
None (landlocked)
Temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m
Mean elevation: 1,350 m
Hydropower potential, timber, salt
Agricultural land: 38.7% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 10.2% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 27.9% (2018 est.)
Forest: 31.5% (2018 est.)
Other: 29.8% (2018 est.)
327 sq km (2016)
Fresh water lake(s): Lake Constance (shared with Germany and Austria) - 540 sq km; Lake Geneva (shared with France) - 580 sq km
Rhine river source (shared with Germany, France, and Netherlands [m]) - 1,233 km
Note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Rhine-Maas (198,735 sq km), (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km), (Adriatic Sea) Po (76,997 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Rhone (100,543 sq km)
Population distribution corresponds to elevation with the northern and western areas far more heavily populated; the higher Alps of the south limit settlement
Avalanches, landslides; flash floods
Landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps
8,563,760 (2023 est.)
Noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
Adjective: Swiss
Swiss 69.2%, German 4.2%, Italian 3.2%, Portuguese 2.5%, French 2.1%, Kosovan 1.1%, Turkish 1%, other 16.7% (2020 est.)
Note: data represent permanent and non-permanent resident population by country of birth
German (or Swiss German) (official) 62.1%, French (official) 22.8%, Italian (official) 8%, English 5.7%, Portuguese 3.5%, Albanian 3.3%, Serbo-Croatian 2.3%, Spanish 2.3%, Romansh (official) 0.5%, other 7.9%; note - German, French, Italian, and Romansh are all national and official languages; shares sum to more than 100% because respondents could indicate more than one main language (2019 est.)
Major-language sample(s):
Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle fĂĽr grundlegende Informationen. (German)
The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)
L'Almanacco dei fatti del mondo, l'indispensabile fonte per le informazioni di base. (Italian)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
German audio sample:
French audio sample:
Italian audio sample:
Roman Catholic 34.4%, Protestant 22.5%, other Christian 5.7%, Muslim 5.4%, other 1.5%, none 29.4%, unspecified 1.1% (2020 est.)
0-14 years: 15.49% (male 683,053/female 643,067)
15-64 years: 65.13% (male 2,800,880/female 2,777,109)
65 years and over: 19.38% (2023 est.) (male 745,501/female 914,150)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 51.6
Youth dependency ratio: 22.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 28.7
Potential support ratio: 3.5 (2021 est.)
Total: 42.7 years
Male: 41.7 years
Female: 43.7 years (2020 est.)
0.64% (2023 est.)
10.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
8.37 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
4.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Population distribution corresponds to elevation with the northern and western areas far more heavily populated; the higher Alps of the south limit settlement
Urban population: 74.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
1.432 million Zurich, 441,000 BERN (capital) (2023)
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
31.1 years (2020 est.)
7 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Total: 3.51 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Total population: 83.42 years
Male: 81.12 years
Female: 85.86 years (2023 est.)
1.58 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.77 (2023 est.)
71.6% (2017)
Improved: urban: 100% of population
Rural: 100% of population
Total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
11.8% of GDP (2020)
4.38 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
4.6 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Improved: urban: 100% of population
Rural: 100% of population
Total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
19.5% (2016)
Total: 9.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer: 3.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine: 4.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits: 1.76 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols: 0.12 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Total: 25.5% (2020 est.)
Male: 28.1% (2020 est.)
Female: 22.9% (2020 est.)
NA
57.5% (2023 est.)
5.2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA
Total: 17 years
Male: 17 years
Female: 17 years (2020)
Total: 9.1%
Male: 9.4%
Female: 8.8% (2021 est.)
Air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from agricultural fertilizers; chemical contaminants and erosion damage the soil and limit productivity; loss of biodiversity
Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Agricultural land: 38.7% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 10.2% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 27.9% (2018 est.)
Forest: 31.5% (2018 est.)
Other: 29.8% (2018 est.)
Urban population: 74.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 10.21 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 34.48 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 4.98 megatons (2020 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 6.056 million tons (2016 est.)
Municipal solid waste recycled annually: 1.938 million tons (2015 est.)
Percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 32% (2015 est.)
Fresh water lake(s): Lake Constance (shared with Germany and Austria) - 540 sq km; Lake Geneva (shared with France) - 580 sq km
Rhine river source (shared with Germany, France, and Netherlands [m]) - 1,233 km
Note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Rhine-Maas (198,735 sq km), (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km), (Adriatic Sea) Po (76,997 sq km), (Mediterranean Sea) Rhone (100,543 sq km)
Municipal: 970 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 640 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 160 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
53.5 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Conventional long form: Swiss Confederation
Conventional short form: Switzerland
Local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German)/ Confederation Suisse (French)/ Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)/ Confederaziun Svizra (Romansh)
Local short form: Schweiz (German)/ Suisse (French)/ Svizzera (Italian)/ Svizra (Romansh)
Abbreviation: CH
Etymology: name derives from the canton of Schwyz, one of the founding cantons of the Swiss Confederacy that formed in the late 13th century
Federal republic (formally a confederation)
Name: Bern
Geographic coordinates: 46 55 N, 7 28 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Etymology: origin of the name is uncertain but may derive from a 2nd century B.C. Celtic place name, possibly "berna" meaning "cleft," that was subsequently adopted by a Roman settlement
26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; Kantone, singular - Kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Berne/Bern, Fribourg/Freiburg, Geneve (Geneva), Glarus, Graubuenden/Grigioni/Grischun, Jura, Luzern (Lucerne), Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais/Wallis, Vaud, Zug, Zuerich
Note: the canton names are in the official language(s) of the canton with the exception of Geneve and Luzern, where the conventional names (Geneva and Lucerne) have been added in parentheses; 6 of the cantons - Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Nidwalden, Obwalden - are referred to as half cantons because they elect only one member (instead of two) to the Council of States and, in popular referendums where a majority of popular votes and a majority of cantonal votes are required, these 6 cantons only have a half vote
1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)
Founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291; note - since 1 August 1891 celebrated as Swiss National Day
History: previous 1848, 1874; latest adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, effective 1 January 2000
Amendments: proposed by the two houses of the Federal Assembly or by petition of at least one hundred thousand voters (called the "federal popular initiative"); passage of proposals requires majority vote in a referendum; following drafting of an amendment by the Assembly, its passage requires approval by majority vote in a referendum and approval by the majority of cantons; amended many times, last in 2018
Civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts, except for federal decrees of a general obligatory character
Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Switzerland
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 12 years including at least 3 of the last 5 years prior to application
18 years of age; universal
Chief of state: President of the Swiss Confederation Alain BERSET (since 1 January 2023); Vice President Viola AMHERD (since 1 January 2023); note - the Federal Council, comprised of 7 federal councillors, constitutes the federal government of Switzerland; council members rotate the 1-year term of federal president
Head of government: President of the Swiss Confederation Alain BERSET (since 1 January 2023); Vice President Viola AMHERD (since 1 January 2023)
Cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) indirectly elected by the Federal Assembly for a 4-year term
Elections/appointments: president and vice president elected by the Federal Assembly from among members of the Federal Council for a 1-year, non-consecutive term; election last held on 8 December 2022 (next to be held in December 2023)
Election results:
2022: Alain BERSET elected president for 2023; Federal Assembly vote - Alain BERSET (SP) 140 OF 181; Viola AMHERD (The Center) elected vice president; Federal assembly vote - 207 of 223
2021: Ignazio CASSIS elected president for 2022; Federal Assembly vote - Ignazio CASSIS (FDP.The Liberals) 156 of 197 votes; Alain BERSET (SP) elected vice president; Federal Assembly vote - 158 of 204
2020: Guy PARMELIN elected president for 2021; Federal Assembly vote - Guy PARMELIN (SVP) 188 of 202 votes; Ignazio CASSIS (FDP.The Liberals) elected vice president; Federal Assembly vote - 162 of 191
Description: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblée Fédérale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of:
Council of States or Ständerat (in German), Conseil des États (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats; members in two-seat constituencies representing cantons and single-seat constituencies representing half cantons directly elected by simple majority vote except Jura and Neuchatel cantons, which use list proportional representation vote; member term governed by cantonal law)
National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats; 194 members in cantons directly elected by proportional representation vote and 6 in half cantons directly elected by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections:
Council of States - last held in most cantons on 20 October 2019 (each canton determines when the next election will be held)
National Council - last held on 20 October 2019 (next to be held on 22 October 2023)
Election results:
Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - The Center 14, FDP.The Liberals 12, SP 7, Green Party 5, SVP 7, other 1; composition (as of mid-2023) - men 34, women 12, percent of women 26.1%
National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 25.6%, SP 16.8%, FDP.The Liberals 15.1%, Green Party 13.2%, The Center 11.4%, GLP 7.8%, other 4.5%; seats by party - SVP 55, SP 39, FDP.The Liberals 29, Green Party 30, The Center 31, GLP 16; composition (as of mid-2023) - men 116, women 84, percent of women 42.5%; note - overall Federal Assembly percent of women 41.5%
Highest court(s): Federal Supreme Court (consists of 38 justices and 19 deputy justices organized into 7 divisions)
Judge selection and term of office: judges elected by the Federal Assembly for 6-year terms; note - judges are affiliated with political parties and are elected according to linguistic and regional criteria in approximate proportion to the level of party representation in the Federal Assembly
Subordinate courts: Federal Criminal Court (established in 2004); Federal Administrative Court (established in 2007); note - each of Switzerland's 26 cantons has its own courts
Green Liberal Party (Gruenliberale Partei or GLP, Parti vert liberale or PVL, Partito Verde-Liberale or PVL, Partida Verde Liberale or PVL) [Juerg GROSSEN]
Green Party (Gruene Partei der Schweiz or Gruene, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Balthasar GLATTLI]
Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SP, Parti Socialiste Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Cedric WERMUTH and Mattea MEYER]
Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica di Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Marco CHIESA]
The Center (Die Mitte, Alleanza del Centro, Le Centre, Allianza dal Center) [Gerhard PFISTER] (merger of the Christian Democratic People's Party and the Conservative Democratic Party)
The Liberals or FDP.The Liberals (FDP.Die Liberalen, PLR.Les Liberaux-Radicaux, PLR.I Liberali, Ils Liberals) [Thierry BURKART]
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, EITI (implementing country), ESA, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag; various medieval legends purport to describe the origin of the flag; a white cross used as identification for troops of the Swiss Confederation is first attested at the Battle of Laupen (1339)
Note: in 1863, a newly formed international relief organization convening in Geneva, Switzerland sought to come up with an identifying flag or logo; they chose the inverse of the Swiss flag - a red cross on a white field - as their symbol; today that organization is known throughout the world as the International Red Cross
Swiss cross (white cross on red field, arms equal length); national colors: red, white
Name: the Swiss anthem has four names: "Schweizerpsalm" [German] "Cantique Suisse" [French] "Salmo svizzero," [Italian] "Psalm svizzer" [Romansch] (Swiss Psalm)
Lyrics/music: Leonhard WIDMER [German], Charles CHATELANAT [French], Camillo VALSANGIACOMO [Italian], and Flurin CAMATHIAS [Romansch]/Alberik ZWYSSIG
Note: unofficially adopted 1961, officially 1981; the anthem has been popular in a number of Swiss cantons since its composition (in German) in 1841; translated into the other three official languages of the country (French, Italian, and Romansch), it is official in each of those languages
Total World Heritage Sites: 13 (9 cultural, 4 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales: Old City of Berne (c); Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch (n); Monte San Giorgio (n); Abbey of St Gall (c); Three Castles, Defensive Wall, and Ramparts of the Market-Town of Bellinzona (c); Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes (c); La Chaux-de-Fonds/Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning (c); Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps (c); Benedictine Convent of St John at MĂĽstair (c); Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces (c)
High-income, non-EU European economy; renowned banking and financial hub; extremely low unemployment; highly skilled but aging workforce; key pharmaceutical and precision manufacturing exporter; fairly high public debt
$618.228 billion (2021 est.)
$593.185 billion (2020 est.)
$607.619 billion (2019 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
4.22% (2021 est.)
-2.38% (2020 est.)
1.14% (2019 est.)
$71,000 (2021 est.)
$68,700 (2020 est.)
$70,900 (2019 est.)
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
$731.502 billion (2019 est.)
0.58% (2021 est.)
-0.73% (2020 est.)
0.36% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: AAA (2000)
Moody's rating: Aaa (1982)
Standard & Poors rating: AAA (1988)
Note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Agriculture: 0.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 25.6% (2017 est.)
Services: 73.7% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: agriculture 206; industry 108; services 54
Household consumption: 53.7% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 12% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 24.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -1.4% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 65.1% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -54% (2017 est.)
Milk, sugar beet, wheat, potatoes, pork, barley, apples, maize, beef, grapes
Machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments, tourism, banking, insurance, pharmaceuticals
7.91% (2021 est.)
4.963 million (2021 est.)
Agriculture: 3.3%
Industry: 19.8%
Services: 76.9% (2015)
5.32% (2021 est.)
4.82% (2020 est.)
4.39% (2019 est.)
Total: 9.1%
Male: 9.4%
Female: 8.8% (2021 est.)
16% (2018 est.)
33.1 (2018 est.)
On food: 9.2% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
On alcohol and tobacco: 3.6% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
Lowest 10%: 7.5%
Highest 10%: 19% (2007)
Revenues: $239.767 billion (2018 est.)
Expenditures: $230.383 billion (2018 est.)
Note: includes federal, cantonal, and municipal budgets
1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
20.91% of GDP (2020 est.)
18.95% of GDP (2019 est.)
18.68% of GDP (2018 est.)
Note: general government gross debt; gross debt consists of all liabilities that require payment or payments of interest and/or principal by the debtor to the creditor at a date or dates in the future; includes debt liabilities in the form of Special Drawing Rights, currency and deposits, debt securities, loans, insurance, pensions and standardized guarantee schemes, and other accounts payable; all liabilities in the Government Financial Systems Manual 2001 system are debt, except for equity and investment fund shares and financial derivatives and employee stock options
9.37% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
Calendar year
$59.159 billion (2021 est.)
$11.067 billion (2020 est.)
$30.806 billion (2019 est.)
$571.376 billion (2021 est.) ; note - data are in current year dollars
$474.236 billion (2020 est.) ; note - data are in current year dollars
$478.505 billion (2019 est.) ; note - data are in current year dollars
Note: trade data exclude trade with Switzerland
Germany 16%, United States 14%, United Kingdom 8%, China 7%, France 6%, India 6%, Italy 5% (2019)
Gold, packaged medicines, medical cultures/vaccines, watches, jewelry (2019)
$480.522 billion (2021 est.) ; note - data are in current year dollars
$429.979 billion (2020 est.) ; note - data are in current year dollars
$413.404 billion (2019 est.) ; note - data are in current year dollars
Germany 21%, Italy 8%, France 6%, United States 6%, United Kingdom 5%, United Arab Emirates 5% (2019)
Gold, packaged medicines, jewelry, cars, medical cultures/vaccines (2019)
$1.11 trillion (31 December 2021 est.)
$1.083 trillion (31 December 2020 est.)
$854.929 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$1.909 trillion (2019 est.)
$1.931 trillion (2018 est.)
Swiss francs (CHF) per US dollar -
0.914 (2021 est.)
0.939 (2020 est.)
0.994 (2019 est.)
0.978 (2018 est.)
0.985 (2017 est.)
Electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 22.921 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 56.407 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Exports: 32.549 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 26.988 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 4.19 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Comparison rankings: installed generating capacity 41; consumption 48; exports 5; imports 5; transmission/distribution losses 53
Fossil fuels: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Nuclear: 34.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Solar: 3.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Wind: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 56.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Biomass and waste: 4.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Number of operational nuclear reactors: 4 (2023)
Number of nuclear reactors under construction: 0
Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors: 2.97GW (2023)
Percent of total electricity production: 28.8% (2021)
Percent of total energy produced: 34.2% (2021)
Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down: 1
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 150,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 139,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Total petroleum production: 300 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 220,000 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 60,900 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
61,550 bbl/day (2017 est.)
7,345 bbl/day (2017 est.)
165,100 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 3,616,169,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 3,577,884,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
38.739 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 319,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 31.494 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 6.926 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
137.918 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Total subscriptions: 2,956,500 (2021 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 34 (2021 est.)
Total subscriptions: 11,060,700 (2021 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 127 (2021 est.)
General assessment: Switzerland has one of the highest broadband penetration rates within Europe, with a focus on services of at least 1Gb/s; this has been supported by sympathetic regulatory measures as well as by cooperative agreements between the main telcos, and with local utilities; fast fiber is complemented by 5G services reaching about 97% of the population by early 2021; together, these networks will soon enable the telcos to provide ultra-fast broadband services nationally, ahead of most other countries in the region; the competitive mobile market is served by three network operators and a small number of MVNOs; 5G services offered by the MNOs offer data rates of up to 2Gb/s, and although various cantons have called a halt to extensions of 5G, citing health concerns, the regulator and environment ministry have put in place measures aimed at ensuring that network roll outs can continue without disruption; with the migration of subscribers to LTE and 5G networks, the MNOs have been able to begin closing down their GSM networks and repurpose physical assets and spectrum; although not a member of the EU, the country’s economic integration has meant that its telecom market deregulation has followed the EU’s liberalization framework, including the recent regulations on international voice roaming; this report presents an analysis of Switzerland’s fixed-line telecom market, including an assessment of network infrastructure (2021)
Domestic: fixed-line is 34 per 100 and mobile-cellular subscribership is 127 per 100 persons (2021)
International: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)
The publicly owned radio and TV broadcaster, Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG/SSR), operates 8 national TV networks, 3 broadcasting in German, 3 in French, and 2 in Italian; private commercial TV stations broadcast regionally and locally; TV broadcasts from stations in Germany, Italy, and France are widely available via multi-channel cable and satellite TV services; SRG/SSR operates 17 radio stations that, along with private broadcasters, provide national to local coverage )
(2019)
.ch
Total: 8.352 million (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 96% (2021 est.)
Total: 4,028,238 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2020 est.)
Number of registered air carriers: 6 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 179
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 28,857,994 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,841,310,000 (2018) mt-km
HB
63 (2021)
40
Note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
23
Note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
2 (2021)
1,800 km gas, 94 km oil (of which 60 are inactive), 17 km refined products (2017)
Total: 5,296 km (2020) 5,296 km electrified; Switzerland remains the only country with a fully electrified network
Total: 71,557 km (2017)
Paved: 71,557 km (2017) (includes 1,458 of expressways)
1,292 km (2010) (there are 1,227 km of waterways on lakes and rivers for public transport and 65 km on the Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee for commercial goods transport)
Total: 20
By type: bulk carrier 16, general cargo 1, other 3 (includes Liechtenstein) (2022)
River port(s): Basel (Rhine)
Swiss Armed Forces: Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe) (2023)
0.7% of GDP (2021 est.)
0.8% of GDP (2020)
0.7% of GDP (2019)
0.7% of GDP (2018)
0.7% of GDP (2017)
The Swiss Armed Forces maintain a full-time professional cadre of about 4,000 personnel along with approximately 18-20,000 conscripts brought in annually for 18-23 weeks of training; approximately 120,000 reserve forces (2022)
The military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported weapons systems; in recent years, the US has been the leading supplier of military armaments to Switzerland; the Swiss defense industry produces a range of military land vehicles (2023)
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; women may volunteer; every Swiss male has to serve at least 245 days in the armed forces; conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by six 19-day intermittent recalls for training during the next 10 years (2023)
Note: conscientious objectors can choose 390 days of community service instead of military service
Up to 165 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR) (2023)
Switzerland has long maintained a policy of military neutrality but does periodically participate in EU, NATO, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and UN military and peacekeeping operations; however, Swiss units will only participate in operations under the mandate of the UN or OSCE; Switzerland joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1996; it contributed to the NATO-led Kosovo force (KFOR) in 1999 and as of 2023, continued doing so with up to 165 personnel; Switzerland also provided a small number of staff officers to the NATO mission in Afghanistan from 2004-2007
(2023)
Terrorist group(s): Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T
None identified
Refugees (country of origin): 14,726 (Eritrea), 11,441 (Afghanistan), 8,039 (Syria), (mid-year 2022); 84,775 (Ukraine) (as of 23 June 2023)
Stateless persons: 891 (2022)
Major source of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics; a significant importer and exporter of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine;