Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside Canada 379 times
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2024) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Canada: 202,080 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Canada’s highest peak towers 1,325 m above Switzerland’s
Canada: 5,959 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 38% of Switzerland, versus 6.5% of Canada
Canada: 6.5% (2024) · Switzerland: 37.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Canada has 4.6 times as many people as Switzerland
Canada: 41.7 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 49 times as densely populated as Canada
Canada: 5 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Canada and Switzerland are practically level
Canada: 178.8 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Canada and Switzerland are practically level
Canada: 164.7 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 2 years older than in Canada
Canada: 40.3 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Switzerland and Canada are practically level
Canada: 1.25 children per woman (2024) · Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Switzerland and Canada are practically level
Canada: 20.3% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Switzerland hosts 2.3 times as many refugees per resident as Canada
Canada: 10 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, Canada 5.5
Canada: 5.5 (2026) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2026)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, Canada 2
Canada: 2 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Canada’s economy is 2.2 times the size of Switzerland’s
Canada: $2.32 trillion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 54% more per person than Canada
Canada: Int$66,746 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Switzerland than in Canada (Gini 2 points higher)
Canada: 31.5 (2022) · Switzerland: 33.5 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Canada and Switzerland are practically level
Canada: 0.3% (2022) · Switzerland: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.9% in Canada, versus 4.9% in Switzerland
Canada: 6.9% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Canada spends 1.6% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.8%
Canada: 1.6% (2025) · Switzerland: 0.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Canada’s central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, Switzerland’s 9.5%
Canada: 13.7% (2024) · Switzerland: 9.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Canada’s
Canada: 83% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 85% more on health per person than Canada
Canada: $6,378 (2024) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 2.3 years longer than in Canada
Canada: 82.1 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Canada is 38% more likely to die before turning one than in Switzerland
Canada: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 59% more doctors per person than Canada
Canada: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Switzerland has 72% more hospital beds per person than Canada
Canada: 2.5 per 1,000 (2022) · Switzerland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Switzerland is 38% higher than in Canada
Canada: 8.4 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 11.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Canada are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland
Canada: 27.1% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 11% in Canada
Canada: 11.2% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 0.28 points higher than in Canada
Canada: 6.74 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Canada drink 5% more alcohol than in Switzerland
Canada: 9.2 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Canada has 48% more meat per person than Switzerland
Canada: 94.8 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Canada has 188 kcal more food per person per day than Switzerland
Canada: 3,590 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Canada put in 202 more hours a year than in Switzerland
Canada: 1,731 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 0.08 years longer than in Canada
Canada: 13.9 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 2.2 times as many tourists per resident as Canada (2019)
Canada: 0.48 (2024) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Canada has 9 more World Heritage sites than Switzerland (22 against 13)
Canada: 22 (2026) · Switzerland: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Canada has won 597 Olympic medals, Switzerland 403
Canada: 597 (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 403 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 94% in Canada
Canada: 94% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Switzerland is 12% faster than in Canada
Canada: 357 Mbps (2026) · Switzerland: 399 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Canada and Switzerland are practically level
Canada: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 83% in Canada
Canada: 83% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Switzerland has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Canada 94
Canada: 94 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Canada’s railway network is 12 times as long as Switzerland’s
Canada: 48,150 km (2021) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 43% more passengers per resident than those from Canada
Canada: 2.13 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 42% of Canada, but only 32% of Switzerland
Canada: 42% (2024) · Switzerland: 32% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Canada emits 3.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in Switzerland
Canada: 13.4 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 64% in Canada
Canada: 63.9% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Switzerland carries 29% more fine dust than in Canada
Canada: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.3 times as likely to be murdered in Canada as in Switzerland
Canada: 2 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Canada are 95% deadlier than in Switzerland
Canada: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Switzerland is on average 9.5 °C warmer than Canada
Canada: -3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 2.4 times as much rain as Canada
Canada: 683 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 Canada bigger than Switzerland?
Canada is larger. Switzerland fits inside Canada 379 times.
Which has more people, Canada or Switzerland?
Canada has 4.6 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Canada or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 2.3 years longer than in Canada. Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years in Canada and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in Canada or Switzerland?
Canada and Switzerland are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
