Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside Australia 187 times
Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2024) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Australia: 25,760 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 2,406 m above Australia’s
Australia: 2,228 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 47% of Australia, versus 38% of Switzerland
Australia: 47.3% (2024) · Switzerland: 37.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Australia has 3 times as many people as Switzerland
Australia: 27.6 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 64 times as densely populated as Australia
Australia: 4 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Australia and Switzerland are practically level
Australia: 178.8 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Australia and Switzerland are practically level
Australia: 164.7 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 4.6 years older than in Australia
Australia: 37.8 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Australia have 0.2 more children on average than in Switzerland
Australia: 1.48 children per woman (2024) · Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Switzerland are 65 or older, versus 18% in Australia
Australia: 18.1% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Switzerland hosts 19 times as many refugees per resident as Australia
Australia: 1.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Switzerland: 22.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Australia 3.6
Australia: 3.6 (2026) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2026)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, Australia 1
Australia: 1 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Australia’s economy is 72% larger than Switzerland’s
Australia: $1.8 trillion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 43% more per person than Australia
Australia: Int$71,934 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Australia than in Switzerland (Gini 0.3 points higher)
Australia: 33.8 (2020) · Switzerland: 33.5 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.9% of people in Australia live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Switzerland
Australia: 0.9% (2020) · Switzerland: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.9% in Switzerland, versus 4.1% in Australia
Australia: 4.1% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Australia spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.8%
Australia: 1.9% (2025) · Switzerland: 0.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Australia’s central government collects 24% of GDP in tax, Switzerland’s 9.5%
Australia: 23.6% (2022) · Switzerland: 9.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Australia’s
Australia: 91% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 69% more on health per person than Australia
Australia: $6,980 (2023) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 1.4 years longer than in Australia
Australia: 83.1 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Switzerland is 10% more likely to die before turning one than in Australia
Australia: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 10% more doctors per person than Australia
Australia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Switzerland has 15% more hospital beds per person than Australia
Australia: 3.8 per 1,000 (2016) · Switzerland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Australia is 9% higher than in Switzerland
Australia: 12.6 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 11.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
32% of adults in Australia are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland
Australia: 32.4% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 12% in Australia
Australia: 11.6% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 0.10 points higher than in Australia
Australia: 6.92 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Australia drink 20% more alcohol than in Switzerland
Australia: 10.5 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Australia has 83% more meat per person than Switzerland
Australia: 116.8 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Australia has 160 kcal more food per person per day than Switzerland
Australia: 3,562 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Australia put in 82 more hours a year than in Switzerland
Australia: 1,611 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 1.1 years longer than in Australia
Australia: 12.9 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Australia: no data · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Australia has 8 more World Heritage sites than Switzerland (21 against 13)
Australia: 21 (2026) · Switzerland: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Australia has won 619 Olympic medals, Switzerland 403
Australia: 619 (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 403 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 96% in Australia
Australia: 96% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Switzerland is 53% faster than in Australia
Australia: 261 Mbps (2026) · Switzerland: 399 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Australia and Switzerland are practically level
Australia: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Australia live in cities, versus 86% in Switzerland
Australia: 88% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Switzerland has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Australia 113
Australia: 113 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Australia’s railway network is 7.9 times as long as Switzerland’s
Australia: 32,606 km (2022) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 22% more passengers per resident than those from Australia
Australia: 2.5 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of Switzerland, but only 17% of Australia
Australia: 17.4% (2024) · Switzerland: 32% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Australia emits 4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Switzerland
Australia: 14.5 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 39% in Australia
Australia: 38.6% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Switzerland carries 67% more fine dust than in Australia
Australia: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 43% more likely to be murdered in Australia than in Switzerland
Australia: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Australia are 92% deadlier than in Switzerland
Australia: 7.5 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Australia is on average 16.0 °C warmer than Switzerland
Australia: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 3.6 times as much rain as Australia
Australia: 447 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Australia bigger than Switzerland?
Australia is larger. Switzerland fits inside Australia 187 times.
Which has more people, Australia or Switzerland?
Australia has 3 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Australia or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 1.4 years longer than in Australia. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Australia and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in Australia or Switzerland?
Australia and Switzerland are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
