Map of Switzerland | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

top of page


Background: 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.


top of page


Location: Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy

Geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 8 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 41,277 km²
Land: 39,997 km²
Water: 1,280 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 1,770 km
Border countries: (5) Austria 158 km; France 525 km; Italy 698 km; Liechtenstein 41 km; Germany 348 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

Terrain: mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes

Elevation
Highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m
Mean elevation: 1,350 m

Natural resources: hydropower potential, timber, salt

Land use
Agricultural land: 38.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 10.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 27.9% (2018 est.)
Forest: 31.5% (2018 est.)
Other: 29.8% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 327 km² (2016)

Major rivers
By length in km:

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Rhine-Maas (198,735 km²), (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 km²), (Adriatic Sea) Po (76,997 km²), (Mediterranean Sea) Rhone (100,543 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 970 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 640 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 160 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 53.5 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: avalanches, landslides; flash floods

Geography
Note: landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps


top of page


Population
Distribution: population distribution corresponds to elevation with the northern and western areas far more heavily populated; the higher Alps of the south limit settlement: 8,563,760 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.78% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 16% (2018 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Swiss (singular and plural)
Adjective: Swiss

Ethnic groups: 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

Languages: 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 samples:

Religions: 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.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
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)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 51.6
Youth dependency ratio: 22.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 28.7
Potential support ratio: 3.5 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 44 years (2023 est.)
Male: 43.3 years
Female: 44.8 years

Population growth rate: 0.78% (2023 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate: 6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

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

Urbanization
Urban population: 74.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1.432 million Zurich, 441,000 BERN (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from agricultural fertilizers; chemical contaminants and erosion damage the soil and limit productivity; loss of biodiversity
International agreements 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
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 8.97 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 34.48 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 4.98 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 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: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 31.1 years (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 7 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 3.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 83.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 81.9 years
Female: 85.8 years

Total fertility rate: 1.59 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 71.6% (2017)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Improved rural: 100% of population
Improved total: 100% of population
Unimproved urban: 0% of population
Unimproved rural: 0% of population
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 11.8% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 4.38 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 4.6 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 19.5% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 9.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 3.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 4.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 1.76 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.12 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 25.5% (2020 est.)
Male: 28.1% (2020 est.)
Female: 22.9% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 5.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 17 years
Male: 17 years
Female: 17 years (2020)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 9.1% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 9.4%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 8.8%


top of page


Country name
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

Government type: federal republic (formally a confederation)

Capital
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

Administrative divisions: 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

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)

National holiday: Founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291; note - since 1 August 1891 celebrated as Swiss National Day

Constitution
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

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

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President of the Swiss Confederation Viola AMHERD (since 1 January 2024); Vice President Karin KELLER-SUTTER (since 1 January 2024); 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 Viola AMHERD (since 1 January 2024); Vice President Karin KELLER-SUTTER (since 1 January 2024)
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 12 December 2023 (next to be held in December 2024)
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description:
Elections:
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: 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, 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, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jacques Henri PITTELOUD (since 16 September 2019)
In the us chancery: 2,900 Cathedral Ave NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 745-7,900
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 387-2,564
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Scott C. MILLER (since 11 January 2022) note - also accredited to Liechtenstein
From the us embassy: Sulgeneckstrasse 19, CH-3,007 Bern
From the us mailing address: 5,110 Bern Place, Washington DC 20,521-5,110
From the us telephone: [41] (031) 357-70-11
From the us FAX: [41] (031) 357-73-20
From the us email address and website: [link]

Flag description: 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

National symbols: Swiss cross (white cross on red field, arms equal length); national colors: red, white

National anthem
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

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 13 (9 cultural, 4 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


top of page


Economy overview: 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

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
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.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.7% (2017 est.)
Industry: 25.6% (2017 est.)
Services: 73.7% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: milk, sugar beet, wheat, potatoes, pork, barley, apples, maize, beef, grapes

Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments, tourism, banking, insurance, pharmaceuticals

Industrial production growth rate: 7.91% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 4.963 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 9.1% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 9.4%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 8.8%

Population below poverty line: 16% (2018 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 33.1 (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 7.5%
Highest 10%: 19% (2007)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $239.767 billion (2018 est.)
Expenditures: $230.383 billion (2018 est.)
Note: includes federal, cantonal, and municipal budgets
Surplus  or deficit: 1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 9.37% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:
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

Revenue
From forest resources: 0.01% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: trade data exclude trade with Switzerland
Partners: Germany 16%, United States 14%, United Kingdom 8%, China 7%, France 6%, India 6%, Italy 5% (2019)
Commodities: gold, packaged medicines, medical cultures/vaccines, watches, jewelry (2019)

Imports:
Partners: Germany 21%, Italy 8%, France 6%, United States 6%, United Kingdom 5%, United Arab Emirates 5% (2019)
Commodities: gold, packaged medicines, jewelry, cars, medical cultures/vaccines (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


top of page


Electricity
Access 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.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 34.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 3.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 56.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 4.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
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.)

Petroleum
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.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 61,550 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports: 7,345 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products imports: 165,100 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Natural gas
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.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 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.)

Energy consumption per capita: 137.918 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


top of page


Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2,918,500 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 33 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 10,450,200 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 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 )

Internet
Country code: .ch
Users total: 8.352 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 96% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 4,028,238 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2020 est.)


top of page


Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Swiss Armed Forces (aka Swiss Army or Schweizer Armee); Army (Heer; aka Land Forces), Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe) (2023)
Note: the federal police maintain internal security and report to the Federal Department of Justice and Police, while the Armed Forces report to the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection, and Sport

Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; 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; as of 2022, women comprised about 1% of the active Swiss military

Space program
Overview: space program integrated within the ESA framework; manufactures satellites and satellite payloads and products/components for satellite launch vehicles, satellites (particularly remote sensing, navigational, and telecommunications), and ground stations, including electronics, fairings, laser and fiber optics, sensor and nano technologies, scientific instruments, and software; produces atomic clocks (for navigational needs); has a considerable space research effort and has provided scientific instruments for a range of ESA and other space programs; participates in international space programs such as the International Space Station; has relations with a range of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, ESA and EU member states, Japan, and the US; the Swiss space industry is spread across approximately 100 businesses, most of which provide niche capabilities and supplies to large space companies (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: 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 terrorist organizations


top of page


National air transport system
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

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: HB

Airports: 63 (2021)
With paved runways: 40
With paved runways 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.)
With unpaved runways: 23
With unpaved runways 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

Heliports: 2 (2021)

Pipelines: 1,800 km gas, 94 km oil (of which 60 are inactive), 17 km refined products (2017)

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

Roadways
Total: 71,557 km (2017)
Paved: 71,557 km (2017) (includes 1,458 of expressways)

Waterways: 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)

Merchant marine
Total: 20 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 16, general cargo 1, other 3 (includes Liechtenstein)

Ports and terminals
River ports: Basel (Rhine)


top of page


Disputes international: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 14,726 (Eritrea), 11,441 (Afghanistan), 8,039 (Syria), (mid-year 2022); 66,525 (Ukraine) (as of 1 December 2023)
Stateless persons: 891 (2022)

Illicit drugs: major source of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics; a significant importer and exporter of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine;