Capital

Schweiz

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

Citizenship

Schweiz

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

Legal system

Schweiz

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts, except for federal decrees of a general obligatory character

Suffrage

Schweiz

18 years of age; universal

Area

Schweiz

total: 41,277 sq km

land: 39,997 sq km

water: 1,280 sq km

Land use

Schweiz

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.)

Location

Schweiz

Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy

Age structure

Schweiz

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)

Birth rate

Schweiz

10.2 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Schweiz

8.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Schweiz

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 für 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.

Life expectancy at birth

Schweiz

total population: 83.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 81.9 years

female: 85.8 years

Major urban areas - population

Schweiz

1.432 million Zurich, 441,000 BERN (capital) (2023)

Median age

Schweiz

total: 44 years (2023 est.)

male: 43.3 years

female: 44.8 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Schweiz

31.1 years (2020 est.)

Net migration rate

Schweiz

6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Schweiz

population distribution corresponds to elevation with the northern and western areas far more heavily populated; the higher Alps of the south limit settlement

Population growth rate

Schweiz

0.78% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Schweiz

1.59 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Schweiz

urban population: 74.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Schweiz

5.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Schweiz

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 17 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Schweiz

1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Schweiz

7.91% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Schweiz

4.963 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Schweiz

16% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate

Schweiz

5.32% (2021 est.)

4.82% (2020 est.)

4.39% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Schweiz

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Schweiz

0.58% (2021 est.)

-0.73% (2020 est.)

0.36% (2019 est.)

Exports

Schweiz

$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

Exports - partners

Schweiz

Germany 16%, United States 14%, United Kingdom 8%, China 7%, France 6%, India 6%, Italy 5% (2019)

Imports

Schweiz

$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

Imports - partners

Schweiz

Germany 21%, Italy 8%, France 6%, United States 6%, United Kingdom 5%, United Arab Emirates 5% (2019)

Airports

Schweiz

63 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Schweiz

total: 4,028,238 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Schweiz

total: 8.352 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 96% (2021 est.)

Railways

Schweiz

total: 5,296 km (2020) 5,296 km electrified; Switzerland remains the only country with a fully electrified network

Roadways

Schweiz

total: 71,557 km (2017)

paved: 71,557 km (2017) (includes 1,458 of expressways)

Telephones - fixed lines

Schweiz

total subscriptions: 2,956,500 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 34 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Schweiz

total subscriptions: 11,060,700 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 127 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Schweiz

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)

Disputes - international

Schweiz

none identified