Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside Japan 9.2 times
Japan: 377,975 km² (2024) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 858 m above Japan’s
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 38% of Switzerland, versus 13% of Japan
Japan: 12.6% (2024) · Switzerland: 37.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 14 times as many people as Switzerland
Japan: 123 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 47% more densely populated than Switzerland
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Switzerland are 6.7 cm taller than in Japan
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Switzerland are 5.8 cm taller than in Japan
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 6.6 years older than in Switzerland
Japan: 49 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Switzerland have 0.1 more children on average than in Japan
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 20% in Switzerland
Japan: 30% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Switzerland hosts 67 times as many refugees per resident as Japan
Japan: 0.3 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, Japan 2.5
Japan: 2.5 (2026) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2026)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, Japan 1
Japan: 1 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 4.3 times the size of Switzerland’s
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 85% more per person than Japan
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Switzerland than in Japan (Gini 1.2 points higher)
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · Switzerland: 33.5 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.2% of people in Japan live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Switzerland
Japan: 1.2% (2020) · Switzerland: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.9% in Switzerland, versus 2.5% in Japan
Japan: 2.5% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.8%
Japan: 1.4% (2025) · Switzerland: 0.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Japan: no data · Switzerland: 9.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Japan’s
Japan: 65% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 3.2 times as much on health per person as Japan
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
Switzerland and Japan are practically level
Japan: 84 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Switzerland is 89% more likely to die before turning one than in Japan
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 69% more doctors per person than Japan
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Japan has 2.9 times as many hospital beds per person as Switzerland
Japan: 12.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Switzerland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Japan is 24% higher than in Switzerland
Japan: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 11.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in Switzerland are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 18% in Japan
Japan: 17.5% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 0.89 points higher than in Japan
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Switzerland drink 40% more alcohol than in Japan
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Switzerland has 7% more meat per person than Japan
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Switzerland has 732 kcal more food per person per day than Japan
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Japan put in 125 more hours a year than in Switzerland
Japan: 1,654 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 1.3 years longer than in Japan
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 3.5 times as many tourists per resident as Japan (2019)
Japan: 0.3 (2024) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Japan has 14 more World Heritage sites than Switzerland (27 against 13)
Japan: 27 (2026) · Switzerland: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Japan has won 642 Olympic medals, Switzerland 403
Japan: 642 (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 403 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 86% in Japan
Japan: 86% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Switzerland is 24% faster than in Japan
Japan: 322 Mbps (2026) · Switzerland: 399 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and Switzerland are practically level
Japan: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 86% in Switzerland
Japan: 92% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Switzerland 129
Japan: 178 (2023) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 4.9 times as long as Switzerland’s
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 3.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Japan
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 32% of Switzerland
Japan: 68.3% (2024) · Switzerland: 32% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 2.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Switzerland
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Japan carries 17% more fine dust than in Switzerland
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.6 times as likely to be murdered in Switzerland as in Japan
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Switzerland are 3% deadlier than in Japan
Japan: 3.8 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Japan is on average 6.2 °C warmer than Switzerland
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 13% more rain than Switzerland
Japan: 1,824 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 Japan bigger than Switzerland?
Japan is larger. Switzerland fits inside Japan 9.2 times.
Which has more people, Japan or Switzerland?
Japan has 14 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or Switzerland?
Switzerland and Japan are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in Japan or Switzerland?
Men in Switzerland are 6.7 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).