Switzerland

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Switzerland spends US$5.179 million on its military, or 0.73 percent of its GDP. This makes Switzerland the 38th highest military spender in the world and represents 0.027 percent of total global military expenditure.

The military of Switzerland is called the Swiss armed forces. Contrary to other developed states, the Swiss military is mostly made up of volunteers which are trained by the Army. It has an air force and an army and despite being a landlocked state it also has a Navy which is mainly used for the security of its larger lakes. The official policy of Switzerland is to not partake in international wars, but it has partaken in peacekeeping missions abroad.

Military membership

Switzerland is also a member of 9 international military organizations. This makes it the 42nd most militarily connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Conference on Disarmament
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Wassenaar Arrangement
Nuclear Suppliers Group
Australia Group

Missile Technology Control Regime
International Atomic Energy Agency

Military membership

International wars

Switzerland has partaken in 2 international wars. These are:

Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815
Libyan Civil War 2011-2011

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Switzerland is a member of 13 international political organizations. This makes it the 78th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
the Council of Europe
European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
UNIDROIT
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Because of its direct democracy and a large autonomy of the cantons, it is the fourth most democratic state in the world. However, some discrimination and a lack of acting by government officials needs further development.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of Switzerland takes place in the form of a federation where people of each region, called communes, can apply direct democracy through referendums. The policy that is made on larger scales through its Cantons and Confederation are mainly applied through consensus.

Western European and Others Group
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
World Organization for Animal Health
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property

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Known for its cheese, chocolate and its iconic mountains, Switzerland or the Swiss Confederation has had a long struggle for statehood. During its early history, the area was inhabited by the Celtic people. Until the 13th century, the area was home to several kingdoms. Three of these kingdoms, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden joined a Confederacy in 1219. Since then, several other kingdoms joined the Confederacy. These kingdoms, later on called cantons, or member states, withstood many territorial infringements from its neighbouring states with the exception of the French during the Napoleonic era. In 1848, the Confederacy became more unified which put more power to a central government and created a policy of neutrality where it agrees to only station its soldiers in the Holy See. Due to its neutrality, Switzerland has been able to transform its economy into one of the most developed economies in the world.

Located in central Europe, Switzerland is a landlocked state with the Swiss Alps Mountain range to its south east which covers half of Switzerland with the remaining northwestern part being made up of low mountains and a small flat plane. Most of its mountainous terrain is covered by densely forested areas while its flat plane is mainly used for agriculture. In total, Switzerland borders five other states with Germany to its north, Austria and Liechtenstein to its east, Italy to its south and France to its west.

It is the 132nd largest state with a total surface area of 41.490 square kilometers or 16.020 square miles. This makes Switzerland slightly smaller than Bhutan and slightly larger than Netherlands.

It has a total water surface area of 1.286 square kilometers or 492 square miles. This makes Switzerland the 103rd largest state in the world.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

More than three percent of its surface is covered by water which can be found in its many lakes, rivers and ice caps. The majority of its drinking water comes from underground wells with the remainder coming from its lakes. Most of its natural water is considered to be of high quality and needs limited treatment.

The climate of Switzerland is a continental climate which is heavily influenced by its mountain range as well as the Atlantic Ocean. Temperatures are highly dependent on elevation, but the average temperature is 5.75 degrees Celsius or 42 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes Switzerland the 185th warmest state in the world.

The average high temperature is 10.3 degrees Celsius or 51 degrees Fahrenheit.

The average low temperature is 2 degrees Celsius or 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Its precipitation is also dependent on its elevation with its mountain range receiving two times as much as its flat plane. Also, the Western part of its mountain range receives more precipitation compared to the eastern part of its mountain range due to warm and wet winds that blow from the Atlantic Ocean. On average, Switzerland receives 118.7 centimetres or 46.7 inches of rainfall per year which ranks it as the 76th highest in the world.

The capital of Switzerland, Bern, is home to 200,000 people. The closest capital is Vaduz, Liechtenstein, with a distance of 161 kilometers or 100 miles. The capital that is the furthest removed is Wellington, New Zealand, with a distance of 18.838 kilometers or 11.706 miles.

The economy of Switzerland is a developed market economy with a strong banking sector as well as a strong technological sector. In recent years, the Swiss economy has started to cool down. This is largely due to increased limitations on its banking secrecy which allowed foreigners to put their money at an undisclosed location, as well as its strong currency which has limited its exports. Most of its exported goods are watches, medical equipment and electronics which are mainly exported to Germany and the United States which combined represent nearly 30 percent of all exports. Most of its imports comes from Germany which is solely responsible for more than 20 percent of all imports.

Switzerland is a member of 19 international economic organizations. This makes it the 22nd most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

African development Bank
Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
Council of Europe Development Bank
Financial Action Task Force
Inter-American Development Bank
International Energy Agency
International Monetary Fund
OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
World Bank Group

World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Group of Ten (economics)
International Energy Agency
Energy Charter Treaty
Nuclear Energy Agency
International Renewable Energy Agency
Advisory Centre on World Trade Organization Law

It has a GDP of US$669.496 million, which makes it the 22nd highest in the world and represents 0.79 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per surface area is the 14th highest in the world with US$16.136.149 per square kilometer or US$41.792.018 per square mile.

Its GDP per capita is the 4th highest in the world with US$77.632.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity per capita is the 9th highest in the world with US$66.910.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

It has the 99th highest population in the world which is approximately 8.6 million people. Its population has multiple languages which are comparable to regional languages of other states. The majority of its population speaks German, or Swiss and German while the two other official languages are French and Italian which are spoken by a minority.

It has the 50th highest population density in the world with 207 people per square kilometer or 537 people per square mile.

8.1 percent of the population, or nearly 700,000 people, have migrated to other states. This makes Switzerland the 93rd state with the highest number of emigrants and represents 0.27 percent of total global emigration. The largest recipient of Swiss migrants has been Italy which is solely responsible for nearly a third of all migrants.

Immigration to Switzerland is represented by 27.9 percent, or 2.4 million people. This makes Switzerland the 22nd state with the highest number of immigrants and represents 0.96 percent of total global immigration. The largest supplier of migrants has been Germany, which has been responsible for 15 percent of all migrants. The main reason has been that Switzerland is a more attractive destination economically as well as a limited a language barrier.

Each region of Switzerland has a full saying about the implementation of education which makes it quite diverse. However, there is a general consensus that children have to attend school for nine years. This has led to a literacy rate of 98.6 percent which is the 40th highest in the world.

Because of its highly developed economic status, its health care system is among the best in the world. It has leading industries in the fights against cancers and cardiovascular diseases and has drastically reduced the spread of communicable diseases. The current health challenges that the Swiss population faces are age related diseases such as dementia and cardiovascular diseases. The average life expectancy is 84.2 years which is the 10th highest in the world. Women have an average life expectancy of 86 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 82.4 years.

Despite having no official state religion, each region within Switzerland has appointed the Swiss reformed church as well as the Roman Catholic church as its official churches.

Christianity is the largest religion in Switzerland and is followed by 65 percent of the population. This makes Switzerland the 101st most Christian state in the world. The largest denomination has been Roman Catholicism until the start of the Reformation which led to an equal divide between Catholic and reformed churches.

Islam has had a small presence in Switzerland until the end of the 20th century. At the end of the 20th century, many refugees from former Yugoslavia as well as Turkey entered Switzerland. Following the Arab Spring, this number started to increase and currently, Islam represents 5.2 percent of Switzerland which makes it the 92nd most Islamic state in the world. The majority of Muslims adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam and mainly come from Turkey.

Buddhism is represented by 0.4 percent of the population. It has an official union within Switzerland which does not represent a specific Buddhist denomination.

Hinduism is represented by 0.4 percent of the population. The majority of Hindus in Switzerland are not native born but have migrated from India and Sri Lanka.

Judaism is represented by 0.27 percent of the population and has been present in Switzerland since the 13th century.

Other religions are represented by 0.13 percent of the population and are mainly related to pagan religions.

Irreligion is represented by 11 percent of the population.