The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside the Philippines 7.3 times.
Philippines: 300,000 km² (2023) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 1,680 m above the Philippines’.
Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Philippines has 13 times as many people as Switzerland.
Philippines: 117 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 70% more densely populated than Switzerland.
Philippines: 392 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Switzerland are 13.5 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Switzerland are 10.2 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 17 years older than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 25.3 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Philippines have 0.6 more children on average than in Switzerland.
Philippines: 1.89 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 5.7% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 5.7% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the Philippines 0.1.
Philippines: 0.1 (2025) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, the Philippines 2.
Philippines: 2 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Switzerland’s economy is 2.1 times the size of the Philippines’.
Philippines: $487 billion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 8.2 times as much per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Philippines than in Switzerland (Gini 5.5 points higher).
Philippines: 39.3 (2023) · Switzerland: 33.8 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.9% in Switzerland, versus 2.2% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 2.2% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Philippines spends 1.3% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.7%.
Philippines: 1.3% (2024) · Switzerland: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 3.4× the Philippines’.
Philippines: 33% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 61 times as much on health per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: $194 (2023) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 14 years longer than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 69.9 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Philippines is 6.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Switzerland.
Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 5.7 times as many doctors per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in Switzerland are obese, versus 9.7% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 9.7% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 20% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 19.9% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 0.81 points higher than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 6.21 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Switzerland drink 44% more alcohol than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Switzerland has 90% more meat per person than the Philippines.
Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Switzerland has 419 kcal more food per person per day than the Philippines.
Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Philippines put in 567 more hours a year than in Switzerland.
Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 4 years longer than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 10 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 45 times as many tourists per resident as the Philippines (2019).
Philippines: 0.02 (2022) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 67% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 67% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Switzerland have electricity, versus 95% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 94.8% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 56% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Switzerland has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Philippines 115.
Philippines: 115 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Switzerland’s railway network is 8.1 times as long as the Philippines’.
Philippines: 509 km (2016) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 8.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Philippines.
Philippines: 0.36 (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 the Philippines.
Philippines: 24.5% (2023) · Switzerland: 32.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Switzerland emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Philippines.
Philippines: 1.5 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 23.3% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Philippines carries 2.6 times as much fine dust as in Switzerland.
Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7.3 times as likely to be murdered in the Philippines as in Switzerland.
Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Philippines are 4 times as deadly as in Switzerland.
Philippines: 9.7 per 100k (2021) · Switzerland: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Philippines is on average 19.8 °C warmer than Switzerland.
Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 86% more rain than Switzerland.
Philippines: 3,001 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Philippines bigger than Switzerland?
The Philippines is larger. Switzerland fits inside the Philippines 7.3 times.
Which has more people, the Philippines or Switzerland?
The Philippines has 13 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Philippines or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 14 years longer than in the Philippines. Life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years in the Philippines and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in the Philippines or Switzerland?
Men in Switzerland are 13.5 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
