Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside Saudi Arabia 52 times.
Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2023) · Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 1,634 m above Saudi Arabia’s.
Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition) · Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Saudi Arabia has 4.1 times as many people as Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025) · Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 13 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025) · Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Switzerland are 8.1 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Switzerland are 5.5 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019) · Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 13 years older than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023) · Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 1.0 more children on average than in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 2.31 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 3.1% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025) · Switzerland: 20.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Saudi Arabia 0.0.
Saudi Arabia: 0 (2025) · Switzerland: 20.9 (2025)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, Saudi Arabia 1.
Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026) · Switzerland: 4 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Saudi Arabia’s economy is 22% larger than Switzerland’s.
Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025) · Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 39% more per person than Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025) · Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Saudi Arabia: no data · Switzerland: 33.8 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.9% in Switzerland, versus 3.0% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025) · Switzerland: 4.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 7.3% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.7%.
Saudi Arabia: 7.3% (2024) · Switzerland: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 2.4× Saudi Arabia’s.
Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025) · Switzerland: 112% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 6.5 times as much on health per person as Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023) · Switzerland: $11,784 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 5.4 years longer than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024) · Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Saudi Arabia is 38% more likely to die before turning one than in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 31% more doctors per person than Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024) · Switzerland: 12.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024) · Switzerland: 23.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 0.20 points higher than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025) · Switzerland: 7.02 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Saudi Arabia: no data · Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Switzerland has 10% more meat per person than Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023) · Switzerland: 64 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 257 kcal more food per person per day than Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023) · Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Saudi Arabia put in 596 more hours a year than in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023) · Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 2.3 years longer than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023) · Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 24% more tourists per resident than Saudi Arabia (2019).
Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024) · Switzerland: 1.04 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 97% in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 97% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
Saudi Arabia and Switzerland are practically level.
Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024) · Switzerland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 85% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025) · Switzerland: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Saudi Arabia has 160 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Switzerland 129.
Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024) · Switzerland: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Switzerland’s railway network is 40% longer than Saudi Arabia’s.
Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018) · Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 2.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023) · Switzerland: 3.05 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of Switzerland, but only 0.5% of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 0.5% (2023) · Switzerland: 32.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 5.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024) · Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024) · Switzerland: 67.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 5.6 times as much fine dust as in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 57% more likely to be murdered in Saudi Arabia than in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019) · Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 7.7 times as deadly as in Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 18.5 per 100k (2021) · Switzerland: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 20.3 °C warmer than Switzerland.
Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 26 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Saudi Arabia bigger than Switzerland?
Saudi Arabia is larger. Switzerland fits inside Saudi Arabia 52 times.
Which has more people, Saudi Arabia or Switzerland?
Saudi Arabia has 4.1 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Saudi Arabia or Switzerland?
People in Switzerland live 5.4 years longer than in Saudi Arabia. Life expectancy at birth is 79.0 years in Saudi Arabia and 84.4 in Switzerland.
Are people taller in Saudi Arabia or Switzerland?
Men in Switzerland are 8.1 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
Keep duelling
Saudi Arabia vs Iraq 
Saudi Arabia vs Jordan 
Saudi Arabia vs Kuwait 
Saudi Arabia vs Oman 
Saudi Arabia vs Qatar 
Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates 
Switzerland vs Austria 
Switzerland vs France 
Switzerland vs Italy 
Switzerland vs Liechtenstein 
Switzerland vs Germany 
Saudi Arabia vs the world → Switzerland vs the world →