Capital

Liechtenstein

name: Vaduz

geographic coordinates: 47 08 N, 9 31 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: may be a conflation from the Latin vallis (valley) and the High German diutisk (meaning "German") to produce Valdutsch ("German valley"), which over time simplified and came to refer specifically to Vaduz, the town

Österreich

name: Vienna

geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 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: the origin of the name is disputed but may derive from early Celtic settlements of the area; a plausible reconstructed Celtic name from several centuries B.C. is Vedunia (meaning "forest stream"), which in Old High German became uuenia (wenia), and later wien (its current German form) in New High German; another possibility is that the name stems from the Roman settlement Vindobona, established around 15 B.C., and its Celtic-derived name (likely from the Celtic windo, meaning "white, fair, or bright" and bona meaning "base, fortification, or settlement" to give a connotation of "white settlement" or "white fort"); archeological remains of the latter survive at many sites in the center of Vienna

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

Liechtenstein

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Liechtenstein; in the case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Österreich

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Austria

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

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

Liechtenstein

civil law system influenced by Swiss, Austrian, and German law

Österreich

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court

Schweiz

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

Suffrage

Liechtenstein

18 years of age; universal

Österreich

16 years of age; universal

Schweiz

18 years of age; universal

Area

Liechtenstein

total: 160 sq km

land: 160 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Österreich

total: 83,871 sq km

land: 82,445 sq km

water: 1,426 sq km

Schweiz

total: 41,277 sq km

land: 39,997 sq km

water: 1,280 sq km

Land use

Liechtenstein

agricultural land: 37.6% (2018 est.)

arable land: 18.8% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 18.8% (2018 est.)

forest: 43.1% (2018 est.)

other: 19.3% (2018 est.)

Österreich

agricultural land: 38.4% (2018 est.)

arable land: 16.5% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 21.1% (2018 est.)

forest: 47.2% (2018 est.)

other: 14.4% (2018 est.)

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

Liechtenstein

Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland

Österreich

Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

Schweiz

Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy

Age structure

Liechtenstein

0-14 years: 15.27% (male 3,389/female 2,718)

15-64 years: 64.38% (male 12,800/female 12,947)

65 years and over: 20.35% (2023 est.) (male 3,738/female 4,401)

Österreich

0-14 years: 14.08% (male 645,660/female 613,399)

15-64 years: 65.11% (male 2,914,056/female 2,907,233)

65 years and over: 20.81% (2023 est.) (male 820,022/female 1,040,490)

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

Liechtenstein

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

Österreich

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

Schweiz

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

Death rate

Liechtenstein

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

Österreich

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

Schweiz

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

Languages

Liechtenstein

German 91.5% (official) (Alemannic is the main dialect), Italian 1.5%, Turkish 1.3%, Portuguese 1.1%, other 4.6% (2015 est.)

major-language sample(s):
Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle für grundlegende Informationen. (German)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Österreich

German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in southern Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 est.)

major-language sample(s):
Das World Factbook, die unverzichtbare Quelle für grundlegende Informationen. (German)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

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

Liechtenstein

total population: 82.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 80.5 years

female: 85.6 years

Österreich

total population: 82.5 years (2023 est.)

male: 79.9 years

female: 85.2 years

Schweiz

total population: 83.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 81.9 years

female: 85.8 years

Major urban areas - population

Liechtenstein

5,000 VADUZ (capital) (2018)

Österreich

1.975 million VIENNA (capital) (2023)

Schweiz

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

Median age

Liechtenstein

total: 44.1 years (2023 est.)

male: 42.3 years

female: 46 years

Österreich

total: 44.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 43.5 years

female: 46.2 years

Schweiz

total: 44 years (2023 est.)

male: 43.3 years

female: 44.8 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Liechtenstein

31.3 years (2017)

Österreich

29.7 years (2020 est.)

Schweiz

31.1 years (2020 est.)

Net migration rate

Liechtenstein

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

Österreich

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

Schweiz

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

Population distribution

Liechtenstein

most of the population is found in the western half of the country along the Rhine River

Österreich

the northern and eastern portions of the country are more densely populated; nearly two-thirds of the populace lives in urban areas

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

Liechtenstein

0.7% (2023 est.)

Österreich

0.31% (2023 est.)

Schweiz

0.78% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Liechtenstein

1.69 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Österreich

1.51 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Schweiz

1.59 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Liechtenstein

urban population: 14.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 1.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Österreich

urban population: 59.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Schweiz

urban population: 74.2% of total population (2023)

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

Education expenditures

Liechtenstein

2.6% of GDP (2011 est.)

Österreich

5.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Schweiz

5.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Liechtenstein

total: 15 years

male: 16 years

female: 14 years (2020)

Österreich

total: 16 years

male: 16 years

female: 16 years (2020)

Schweiz

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 17 years (2020)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Liechtenstein

1.6% (of GDP) (2012 est.)

Österreich

-0.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Schweiz

1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Liechtenstein

NA

Österreich

6.77% (2021 est.)

Schweiz

7.91% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Liechtenstein

38,520 (2015 est.) (2012)

note: 51% of the labor force in Liechtenstein commute daily from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany

Österreich

4.661 million (2021 est.)

Schweiz

4.963 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Liechtenstein

NA

Österreich

13.3% (2018 est.)

Schweiz

16% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate

Liechtenstein

2.4% (2015)

2.4% (2014)

Österreich

6.3% (2021 est.)

5.36% (2020 est.)

4.49% (2019 est.)

Schweiz

5.32% (2021 est.)

4.82% (2020 est.)

4.39% (2019 est.)

Österreich

99.91% of GDP (2020 est.)

83.05% of GDP (2019 est.)

84.16% of GDP (2018 est.)

note: this is general government gross debt, defined in the Maastricht Treaty as consolidated general government gross debt at nominal value, outstanding at the end of the year; it covers the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); the general government sector comprises the sub-sectors of central government, state government, local government and social security funds; as a percentage of GDP, the GDP used as a denominator is the gross domestic product in current year prices

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)

Liechtenstein

-0.4% (2016 est.)

-0.2% (2013)

Österreich

2.77% (2021 est.)

1.38% (2020 est.)

1.53% (2019 est.)

Schweiz

0.58% (2021 est.)

-0.73% (2020 est.)

0.36% (2019 est.)

Exports

Liechtenstein

$3.217 billion (2015 est.)

$3.774 billion (2014 est.)

note: trade data exclude trade with Switzerland

Österreich

$268.277 billion (2021 est.)

$224.734 billion (2020 est.)

$247.738 billion (2019 est.)

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-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

Österreich

Germany 28%, United States 7%, Italy 6%, Switzerland 5% (2019)

Schweiz

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

Imports

Liechtenstein

$2.23 billion (2014 est.)

note: trade data exclude trade with Switzerland

Österreich

$265.769 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$211.736 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$231.992 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

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

Österreich

Germany 39%, Italy 7%, Czechia 5% (2019)

Schweiz

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

Österreich

50 (2021)

Schweiz

63 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Liechtenstein

total: 18,050 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2020 est.)

Österreich

total: 2.606 million (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 29 (2020 est.)

Schweiz

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

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Liechtenstein

total: 37,440 (2021 est.)

percent of population: 96% (2021 est.)

Österreich

total: 8.277 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 93% (2021 est.)

Schweiz

total: 8.352 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 96% (2021 est.)

Railways

Liechtenstein

total: 9 km (2018)

standard gauge: 9 km (2018) 1.435-m gauge (electrified)

note: belongs to the Austrian Railway System connecting Austria and Switzerland

Österreich

total: 6,123 km (2022) 3,523 km electrified

Schweiz

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

Roadways

Liechtenstein

total: 630 km (2019)

Österreich

total: 137,039 km (2018)

paved: 137,039 km (2018) (includes 2,232 km of expressways)

Schweiz

total: 71,557 km (2017)

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

Telephones - fixed lines

Liechtenstein

total subscriptions: 11,712 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2021 est.)

Österreich

total subscriptions: 3,808,709 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 43 (2021 est.)

Schweiz

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

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 34 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

Liechtenstein

total subscriptions: 49,264 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 126 (2021 est.)

Österreich

total subscriptions: 10,882,217 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 122 (2021 est.)

Schweiz

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

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 127 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Liechtenstein

28 km (2010)

Österreich

358 km (2011)

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

Liechtenstein

none

Österreich

none identified

Schweiz

none identified