The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside the United Kingdom 5.9 times
Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2024) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 3,289 m above the United Kingdom’s
Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 69% of the United Kingdom, versus 38% of Switzerland
Switzerland: 37.7% (2024) · United Kingdom: 69.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 7.6 times as many people as Switzerland
Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 25% more densely populated than Switzerland
Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Switzerland and the United Kingdom are practically level
Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Switzerland and the United Kingdom are practically level
Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 2.5 years older than in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.3 more children on average than in Switzerland
Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Switzerland are 65 or older, versus 20% in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 20.4% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Switzerland hosts 2.7 times as many refugees per resident as the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 22.9 per 1,000 (2025) · United Kingdom: 8.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Kingdom 15.8
Switzerland: 20.9 (2026) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2026)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, the United Kingdom 1
Switzerland: 4 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 3.8 times the size of Switzerland’s
Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 59% more per person than the United Kingdom
Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Switzerland than in the United Kingdom (Gini 1.1 points higher)
Switzerland: 33.5 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
The United Kingdom and Switzerland are practically level
Switzerland: 0.1% (2023) · United Kingdom: 0.4% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Switzerland and the United Kingdom are practically level
Switzerland: 4.9% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.8%
Switzerland: 0.8% (2025) · United Kingdom: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The United Kingdom’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Switzerland’s 9.5%
Switzerland: 9.5% (2024) · United Kingdom: 26.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the United Kingdom’s
Switzerland: 112% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 2 times as much on health per person as the United Kingdom
Switzerland: $11,784 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 3 years longer than in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 21% more likely to die before turning one than in Switzerland
Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 36% more doctors per person than the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Switzerland has 81% more hospital beds per person than the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Switzerland is 21% higher than in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 11.6 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland
Switzerland: 12.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 23.1% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 0.32 points higher than in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 7.02 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 19% more alcohol than in Switzerland
Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 32% more meat per person than Switzerland
Switzerland: 64 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 32 kcal more food per person per day than Switzerland
Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Switzerland and the United Kingdom are practically level
Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 0.46 years longer than in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 89% more tourists per resident than the United Kingdom (2019)
Switzerland: 1.04 (2022) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United Kingdom has 22 more World Heritage sites than Switzerland (35 against 13)
Switzerland: 13 (2026) · United Kingdom: 35 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United Kingdom has won 1,025 Olympic medals, Switzerland 403
Switzerland: 403 (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,025 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 95% in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 97% (2025) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Switzerland is 32% faster than in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 399 Mbps (2026) · United Kingdom: 303 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Switzerland and the United Kingdom are practically level
Switzerland: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 86% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Switzerland has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122
Switzerland: 129 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 3.9 times as long as Switzerland’s
Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 78% more passengers per resident than those from the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 3.05 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of Switzerland, but only 13% of the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 32% (2024) · United Kingdom: 13.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 26% more CO₂ than someone in Switzerland
Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 52% in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 67.8% (2025) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Switzerland carries 2% more fine dust than in the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 87% more likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom than in Switzerland
Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Switzerland and the United Kingdom are nearly identical here
Switzerland: 3.9 per 100k (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Kingdom is on average 3.4 °C warmer than Switzerland
Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 51% more rain than the United Kingdom
Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Switzerland bigger than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is larger. Switzerland fits inside the United Kingdom 5.9 times.
Which has more people, Switzerland or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 7.6 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Switzerland or the United Kingdom?
People in Switzerland live 3 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 84.4 years in Switzerland and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Switzerland or the United Kingdom?
Switzerland and the United Kingdom are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
