Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside Iran 42 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 991 m above Switzerland’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 38% of Switzerland, versus 29% of Iran
Iran: 29% (2024) · Switzerland: 37.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 10 times as many people as Switzerland
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 4 times as densely populated as Iran
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Switzerland are 3.1 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Switzerland are 3.2 cm taller than in Iran
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 9.5 years older than in Iran
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iran have 0.4 more children on average than in Switzerland
Iran: 1.68 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 8.6% in Iran
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Switzerland hosts 2.7 times as many refugees per resident as Iran
Iran: 8.3 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, Iran 0.3
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2026)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, Iran 1
Iran: 1 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Switzerland’s economy is 2.9 times the size of Iran’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 5.2 times as much per person as Iran
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Switzerland (Gini 2.4 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Switzerland: 33.5 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.5% of people in Iran live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Switzerland
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Switzerland: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 4.9% in Switzerland
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.8%
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Switzerland: 0.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Switzerland: 9.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 5.6× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 44 times as much on health per person as Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 6.6 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iran is 3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Switzerland
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 2.5 times as many doctors per person as Iran
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Switzerland has 2.4 times as many hospital beds per person as Iran
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Switzerland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Switzerland is 93% higher than in Iran
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 11.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 1.87 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Switzerland drink 424 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Switzerland has 2.1 times as much meat per person as Iran
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Switzerland has 527 kcal more food per person per day than Iran
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 717 more hours a year than in Switzerland
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 3.1 years longer than in Iran
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iran: no data · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 17 more World Heritage sites than Switzerland (30 against 13)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Switzerland: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Switzerland has won 403 Olympic medals, Iran 88
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 403 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 85% in Iran
Iran: 85% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Switzerland: 399 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and Switzerland are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 77% in Iran
Iran: 77% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Switzerland 129
Iran: 174 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 2.3 times as long as Switzerland’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 16 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iran
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of Switzerland, but only 6.6% of Iran
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Switzerland: 32% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Switzerland
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iran carries 4.2 times as much fine dust as in Switzerland
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4 times as likely to be murdered in Iran as in Switzerland
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 7.4 times as deadly as in Switzerland
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iran is on average 12.8 °C warmer than Switzerland
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 5.9 times as much rain as Iran
Iran: 272 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 Iran bigger than Switzerland?
Iran is larger. Switzerland fits inside Iran 42 times.
Which has more people, Iran or Switzerland?
Iran has 10 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 6.6 years longer than in Iran. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in Iran or Switzerland?
Men in Switzerland are 3.1 cm taller than in Iran (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
