The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside the United States 238 times.
Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 1,556 m above Switzerland’s.
Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 38 times as many people as Switzerland.
Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 6.2 times as densely populated as the United States.
Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Switzerland are 1.8 cm taller than in the United States.
Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Switzerland are 1.0 cm taller than in the United States.
Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 4.3 years older than in the United States.
Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.3 more children on average than in Switzerland.
Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Switzerland are 65 or older, versus 18% in the United States.
Switzerland: 20.4% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United States 8.7.
Switzerland: 20.9 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, the United States 1.
Switzerland: 4 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 29 times the size of Switzerland’s.
Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 14% more per person than the United States.
Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Switzerland (Gini 8 points higher).
Switzerland: 33.8 (2022) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.9% in Switzerland, versus 4.2% in the United States.
Switzerland: 4.9% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.7%.
Switzerland: 0.7% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× the United States’.
Switzerland: 112% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 14% more on health per person than Switzerland.
Switzerland: $11,784 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 5.5 years longer than in the United States.
Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 62% more likely to die before turning one than in Switzerland.
Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 22% more doctors per person than the United States.
Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland.
Switzerland: 12.9% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
Switzerland: 23.1% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (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 the United States.
Switzerland: 7.02 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 9% more alcohol than in Switzerland.
Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 91% more meat per person than Switzerland.
Switzerland: 64 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 545 kcal more food per person per day than Switzerland.
Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 260 more hours a year than in Switzerland.
Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Switzerland and the United States are practically level.
Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 4.9 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019).
Switzerland: 1.04 (2022) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 95% in the United States.
Switzerland: 97% (2025) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Switzerland and the United States are practically level.
Switzerland: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 80% in the United States.
Switzerland: 86% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Switzerland has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
Switzerland: 129 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 36 times as long as Switzerland’s.
Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 11% more passengers per resident than those from the United States.
Switzerland: 3.05 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 32% of Switzerland.
Switzerland: 32.4% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 3.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Switzerland.
Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
Switzerland: 67.8% (2025) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Switzerland carries 20% more fine dust than in the United States.
Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 9.6 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in Switzerland.
Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 5.9 times as deadly as in Switzerland.
Switzerland: 2.4 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United States is on average 3.8 °C warmer than Switzerland.
Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 90% more rain than the United States.
Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Switzerland bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Switzerland fits inside the United States 238 times.
Which has more people, Switzerland or the United States?
The United States has 38 times as many people as Switzerland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Switzerland or the United States?
People in Switzerland live 5.5 years longer than in the United States. Life expectancy at birth is 84.4 years in Switzerland and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Switzerland or the United States?
Men in Switzerland are 1.8 cm taller than in the United States (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
