Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside Poland 7.6 times
Poland: 313,940 km² (2024) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Poland: 440 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 2,135 m above Poland’s
Poland: 2,499 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of Poland, versus 38% of Switzerland
Poland: 46.2% (2024) · Switzerland: 37.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Poland has 4 times as many people as Switzerland
Poland: 36.4 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 93% more densely populated than Poland
Poland: 119 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Poland are 2.0 cm taller than in Switzerland
Poland: 180.7 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Poland are 1.4 cm taller than in Switzerland
Poland: 165.8 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 1 year older than in Poland
Poland: 41.3 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Switzerland have 0.2 more children on average than in Poland
Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Poland and Switzerland are practically level
Poland: 20.8% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Poland hosts 19% more refugees per resident than Switzerland
Poland: 27.2 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, Poland 7.7
Poland: 7.7 (2026) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2026)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, Poland 1
Poland: 1 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Switzerland and Poland are nearly identical here
Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 89% more per person than Poland
Poland: Int$54,262 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Switzerland than in Poland (Gini 5 points higher)
Poland: 28.5 (2023) · Switzerland: 33.5 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Poland and Switzerland are practically level
Poland: 0.2% (2023) · Switzerland: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.9% in Switzerland, versus 3.0% in Poland
Poland: 3% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Poland spends 4.5% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.8%
Poland: 4.5% (2025) · Switzerland: 0.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Poland’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, Switzerland’s 9.5%
Poland: 17.4% (2024) · Switzerland: 9.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Poland’s
Poland: 52% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 5.9 times as much on health per person as Poland
Poland: $2,014 (2024) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 6 years longer than in Poland
Poland: 78.4 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Poland is 6% more likely to die before turning one than in Switzerland
Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 11% more doctors per person than Poland
Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Poland has 38% more hospital beds per person than Switzerland
Poland: 6 per 1,000 (2022) · Switzerland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Poland is 16% higher than in Switzerland
Poland: 13.4 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 11.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Poland are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland
Poland: 25.9% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 22% in Poland
Poland: 21.7% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 0.25 points higher than in Poland
Poland: 6.77 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 31% more alcohol than in Switzerland
Poland: 11.5 litres (2023) · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Poland has 30% more meat per person than Switzerland
Poland: 83.3 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 328 kcal more food per person per day than Switzerland
Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Poland put in 278 more hours a year than in Switzerland
Poland: 1,807 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 0.74 years longer than in Poland
Poland: 13.2 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 93% more tourists per resident than Poland (2019)
Poland: 0.54 (2024) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Poland has 5 more World Heritage sites than Switzerland (18 against 13)
Poland: 18 (2026) · Switzerland: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Switzerland has won 403 Olympic medals, Poland 335
Poland: 335 (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 403 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 89% in Poland
Poland: 89% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Switzerland is 38% faster than in Poland
Poland: 288 Mbps (2026) · Switzerland: 399 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Poland and Switzerland are practically level
Poland: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 60% in Poland
Poland: 60% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Poland has 138 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Switzerland 129
Poland: 138 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Poland’s railway network is 4.5 times as long as Switzerland’s
Poland: 18,620 km (2021) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 13 times as many passengers per resident as those from Poland
Poland: 0.24 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of Switzerland, but only 31% of Poland
Poland: 31% (2024) · Switzerland: 32% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Poland emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Switzerland
Poland: 7.1 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 32% in Poland
Poland: 31.5% (2025) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Poland carries 73% more fine dust than in Switzerland
Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 34% more likely to be murdered in Poland than in Switzerland
Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Poland are 2.9 times as deadly as in Switzerland
Poland: 11.5 per 100k (2023) · Switzerland: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Poland is on average 3.2 °C warmer than Switzerland
Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 2.1 times as much rain as Poland
Poland: 763 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 Poland bigger than Switzerland?
Poland is larger. Switzerland fits inside Poland 7.6 times.
Which has more people, Poland or Switzerland?
Poland has 4 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Poland or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 6 years longer than in Poland. Life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years in Poland and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in Poland or Switzerland?
Men in Poland are 2.0 cm taller than in Switzerland (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).