Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside China 232 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 4,215 m above Switzerland’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of China, versus 38% of Switzerland
China: 41.7% (2024) · Switzerland: 37.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 155 times as many people as Switzerland
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 54% more densely populated than China
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Switzerland are 3.1 cm taller than in China
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Switzerland are 0.9 cm taller than in China
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 3.3 years older than in China
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Switzerland have 0.3 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 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 15% in China
China: 14.9% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Switzerland hosts 140,094 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 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, China 0.1
China: 0.1 (2026) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2026)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, China 1
China: 1 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 19 times the size of Switzerland’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 3.5 times as much per person as China
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Switzerland (Gini 2.5 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · Switzerland: 33.5 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Switzerland and China are practically level
China: 0% (2022) · Switzerland: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Switzerland and China are practically level
China: 4.6% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China spends 1.7% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.8%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Switzerland: 0.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Switzerland’s central government collects 9.5% of GDP in tax, China’s 7.0%
China: 7% (2024) · Switzerland: 9.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 2.4× China’s
China: 47% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 15 times as much on health per person as China
China: $763 (2023) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 6.4 years longer than in China
China: 78 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in China is 21% more likely to die before turning one than in Switzerland
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 44% more doctors per person than China
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 29% more hospital beds per person than Switzerland
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Switzerland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Switzerland is 45% higher than in China
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 11.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in Switzerland are obese, versus 9.1% in China
China: 9.1% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Switzerland and China are practically level
China: 22.8% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 0.94 points higher than in China
China: 6.07 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Switzerland drink 2.4 times as much alcohol as in China
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 15% more meat per person than Switzerland
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 125 kcal more food per person per day than Switzerland
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 799 more hours a year than in Switzerland
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 5.9 years longer than in China
China: 8 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 22 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019)
China: 0.05 (2019) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 48 more World Heritage sites than Switzerland (61 against 13)
China: 61 (2026) · Switzerland: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Switzerland 403
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 403 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 92% in China
China: 92% (2025) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Switzerland is 9% faster than in China
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Switzerland: 399 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Switzerland are practically level
China: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 66% in China
China: 66% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Switzerland 129
China: 132 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 27 times as long as Switzerland’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 6.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from China
China: 0.44 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of Switzerland, but only 24% of China
China: 24% (2024) · Switzerland: 32% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Switzerland
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 37% in China
China: 37% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 3.5 times as much fine dust as in Switzerland
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 19% more likely to be murdered in Switzerland than in China
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 6.3 times as deadly as in Switzerland
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
China is on average 1.3 °C warmer than Switzerland
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 2 times as much rain as China
China: 813 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 China bigger than Switzerland?
China is larger. Switzerland fits inside China 232 times.
Which has more people, China or Switzerland?
China has 155 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 6.4 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in China or Switzerland?
Men in Switzerland are 3.1 cm taller than in China (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
