World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Switzerland fits inside the median country 2.7 times
Switzerland: 41,291 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Switzerland: 0 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Switzerland’s highest peak towers 2,299 m above the median country’s
Switzerland: 4,634 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
The median country and Switzerland are practically level
Switzerland: 37.7% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Switzerland has 23% more people than the median country
Switzerland: 9.09 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Switzerland is 2.3 times as densely populated as the median country
Switzerland: 230 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Switzerland are 5.2 cm taller than in the median country
Switzerland: 178.7 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Switzerland are 3.8 cm taller than in the median country
Switzerland: 164.3 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Switzerland is 11 years older than in the median country
Switzerland: 42.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.6 more children on average than in Switzerland
Switzerland: 1.29 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Switzerland are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country
Switzerland: 20.4% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Switzerland hosts 28 times as many refugees per resident as the median country
Switzerland: 22.9 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Switzerland has produced 20.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country none
Switzerland: 20.9 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Switzerland has 4 official languages, the median country 1
Switzerland: 4 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Switzerland’s economy is 23 times the size of the median country’s
Switzerland: $1.04 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Switzerland produces 4.9 times as much per person as the median country
Switzerland: Int$102,513 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the median country than in Switzerland (Gini 0.9 points higher)
Switzerland: 33.5 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.6% of people in the median country live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in Switzerland
Switzerland: 0.1% (2023) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
The median country and Switzerland are practically level
Switzerland: 4.9% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, Switzerland 0.8%
Switzerland: 0.8% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The median country’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, Switzerland’s 9.5%
Switzerland: 9.5% (2024) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Switzerland’s price level (US = 100) is 2.5× the median country’s
Switzerland: 112% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Switzerland spends 25 times as much on health per person as the median country
Switzerland: $11,784 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Switzerland live 9.8 years longer than in the median country
Switzerland: 84.4 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 3.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Switzerland
Switzerland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Switzerland has 2.7 times as many doctors per person as the median country
Switzerland: 4.5 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Switzerland has 81% more hospital beds per person than the median country
Switzerland: 4.4 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Switzerland is 16% higher than in the median country
Switzerland: 11.6 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 13% in Switzerland
Switzerland: 12.9% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in Switzerland smoke, versus 19% in the median country
Switzerland: 23.1% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Switzerland rate their lives 1.18 points higher than in the median country
Switzerland: 7.02 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Switzerland drink 2 times as much alcohol as in the median country
Switzerland: 8.8 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Switzerland has 14% more meat per person than the median country
Switzerland: 64 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Switzerland has 465 kcal more food per person per day than the median country
Switzerland: 3,402 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 445 more hours a year than in Switzerland
Switzerland: 1,529 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Switzerland went to school 4 years longer than in the median country
Switzerland: 13.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Switzerland welcomed 3 times as many tourists per resident as the median country (2019)
Switzerland: 1.04 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Switzerland has 10 more World Heritage sites than the median country (13 against 3)
Switzerland: 13 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Switzerland has won 403 Olympic medals, the median country 4
Switzerland: 403 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Switzerland are online, versus 82% in the median country
Switzerland: 97% (2025) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Switzerland is 2.5 times as fast as in the median country
Switzerland: 399 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Switzerland and the median country are practically level
Switzerland: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Switzerland live in cities, versus 64% in the median country
Switzerland: 86% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Switzerland has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115
Switzerland: 129 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Switzerland’s railway network is 93% longer than the median country’s
Switzerland: 4,122 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Switzerland fly 13 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country
Switzerland: 3.05 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 32% of Switzerland
Switzerland: 32% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Switzerland emits 20% more CO₂ than someone in the median country
Switzerland: 3.6 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Switzerland’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country
Switzerland: 67.8% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 84% more fine dust than in Switzerland
Switzerland: 9 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.8 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Switzerland
Switzerland: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 4.8 times as deadly as in Switzerland
Switzerland: 3.9 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 16.4 °C warmer than Switzerland
Switzerland: 6.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Switzerland gets 59% more rain than the median country
Switzerland: 1,616 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Switzerland bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. Switzerland fits inside the median country 2.7 times.
Which has more people, Switzerland or the median country?
Switzerland has 23% more people than the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Switzerland or the median country?
People in Switzerland live 9.8 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 84.4 years in Switzerland and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Switzerland or the median country?
Men in Switzerland are 5.2 cm taller than in the median country (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
