The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands and Switzerland are nearly identical here.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 3,772 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 2 times as many people as Switzerland.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 2.3 times as densely populated as Switzerland.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 5.1 cm taller than in Switzerland.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 6.0 cm taller than in Switzerland.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 0.94 years older than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Netherlands have 0.1 more children on average than in Switzerland.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
The Netherlands and Switzerland are practically level.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the Netherlands 11.1.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, the Netherlands 1.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 28% larger than Switzerland’s.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 17% more per person than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Switzerland than in the Netherlands (Gini 8.1 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · Switzerland: 33.8 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.9% in Switzerland, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.9% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.7%.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · Switzerland: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 72% more on health per person than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 2.4 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 82 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
The Netherlands and Switzerland are nearly identical here.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 16% more doctors per person than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 21% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.21 points higher than in Switzerland.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Switzerland drink 2% more alcohol than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 12% more meat per person than Switzerland.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 65 kcal more food per person per day than Switzerland.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Switzerland put in 90 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 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 the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 15% more tourists per resident than the Netherlands (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Switzerland and the Netherlands are practically level.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and Switzerland are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 86% in Switzerland.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Switzerland has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Switzerland’s railway network is 36% longer than the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 33% more passengers per resident than those from the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of Switzerland, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.1% (2023) · Switzerland: 32.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 75% more CO₂ than someone in Switzerland.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Netherlands carries 7% more fine dust than in Switzerland.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 16% more likely to be murdered in the Netherlands than in Switzerland.
Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Netherlands are 42% deadlier than in Switzerland.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021) · Switzerland: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Netherlands is on average 4.7 °C warmer than Switzerland.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 82% more rain than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than Switzerland?
The Netherlands is larger. The Netherlands and Switzerland are nearly identical here.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or Switzerland?
The Netherlands has 2 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 2.4 years longer than in the Netherlands. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or Switzerland?
Men in the Netherlands are 5.1 cm taller than in Switzerland (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
