Switzerland - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Switzerland. Landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps. Mother's mean age at first birth is 31.1 years (2020 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 7 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Switzerland
Location Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Geographic coordinates 47 00 N, 8 00 E
Map references Europe
Tarrain mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Natural Resources hydropower potential, timber, salt
Natural Hazards avalanches, landslides; flash floods
Irrigated Land 327 sq km (2016)
Major rivers (by length in km) Rhein (Rhine)  river source (shared with Germany, France, and Netherlands [m]) - 1,233 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 1,770 km
Border Countries Austria 158 km; France 525 km; Italy 698 km; Liechtenstein 41 km; Germany 348 km
Coastline 0 km (landlocked)
Climate temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Area
Total Area
Land Area 39,997 sq km
Water Area 1,280 sq km
comparative Area slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Lowest point Lake Maggiore 195 m
Mean elevation 1,350 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 38.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 10.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 27.9% (2018 est.)
Forest 31.5% (2018 est.)
Other 29.8% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Population distribution corresponds to elevation with the northern and western areas far more heavily populated; the higher Alps of the south limit settlement

People and Society

In Switzerland, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Swiss 69.2%, German 4.2%, Italian 3.2%, Portuguese 2.5%, French 2.1%, Kosovan 1.1%, Turkish 1%, other 16.7% (2020 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.75% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 10.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 8.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 11.8% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 4.6 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Total fertility rate 1.59 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.77 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 71.6% (2017)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 57.5% (2023 est.)
Literacy
Education expenditures 5.2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate 5.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Swiss | Swiss (singular and plural)
Languages
Religions Roman Catholic 34.4%, Protestant 22.5%, other Christian 5.7%, Muslim 5.4%, other 1.5%, none 29.4%, unspecified 1.1% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 15.1% (male 685,221/female 650,802)
15-64 years 64.6% (male 2,887,767/female 2,834,842)
65 years and over 20.3% (2024 est.) (male 830,117/female 971,825)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 51.6
Youth dependency ratio 22.8
Elderly dependency ratio 28.7
Potential support ratio 3.5 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 44.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 43.5 years
Female 44.9 years
Urbanization
Urban population 74.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.432 million Zurich, 441,000 BERN (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.85 male(s)/female
Total population 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 3.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 83.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 82 years
Female 85.8 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 9.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 3.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 4.35 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 1.76 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.12 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 25.5% (2020 est.)
Male 28.1% (2020 est.)
Female 22.9% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Switzerland

Want to know more about Switzerland? Check all different factbooks for Switzerland below.

Switzerland is found in Western Europe