Switzerland — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Switzerland: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Switzerland — in Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy. Political status: federal republic (formally a confederation). It covers 41,277 sq km. Terrain: mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes. Climate: temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers.
| Capital | Bern |
|---|---|
| Population | 8,925,741 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $741.035 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $82,000 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 1.3% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 1.1% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 4.2% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 19.9% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Exports | $675.059 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $582.554 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 83.9 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 44.4 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 74.2% of total population (2023) |
| Government | federal republic (formally a confederation) |
| Independence | 1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation) |
| Languages | German (or Swiss German) (official) 62.1%, French (official) 22.8%, Italian (official) 8%, English 5.7%, Portuguese 3.5%, Albanian 3.3%, Serbo-Croatian 2.3%, Spanish 2.3%, Romansh (official) 0.5%, other 7.9% (2019 est.) |
Switzerland’s GDP is $741.035 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $936.564 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 1.3% (2024 est.). See where Switzerland ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Switzerland's quarter was defined by what didn't happen: trade shocks contained, the 39%-threatened US tariff cut to 15%, and steady collegial management.
The growth outlook lifted once the tariff deal landed. Swiss momentum is rarely dramatic — this quarter was Swiss in the best sense.
- What our model rewards: public debt under 20% of GDP — room to maneuver; inflation tamed at 1.1%
Hydropower, Timber, Salt.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 100% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 34.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 6.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 53% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 99.578 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 339.3 TWh (2024) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 78.7 TWh (2024) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 38,026 kWh per person (2024) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Hydro 56.8%, Nuclear 30.5%, Solar 7.5%, Oil 1.8%, Gas 0.5%, Wind 0.2% (2024) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 97.7% (2024) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 36.6 gCO2/kWh (2024) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $675.059 billion (2024 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $582.554 billion (2024 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Surplus of $92.5 billion (2024), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments, tourism, banking, insurance, pharmaceuticals |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Guy Parmelin — President of the Swiss Confederation. President of the Swiss Confederation Guy PARMELIN (since 1 January 2026)
Switzerland maintains 102 embassies and 30 consulates abroad, hosts 136 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, UN Geneva, OECD Paris, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 102 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 30 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 136 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, UN Geneva, OECD Paris, UNESCO Paris, OSCE Vienna, CoE Strasbourg |
Source: Abroad: Lowy GDI 2024 via Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_diplomatic_missions . Hosted: Consular Affairs Center in-country ranking, Mar 2026. Multilateral rosters as for AUT.
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Landlocked — no seacoast; exports move through transit corridors across neighbouring countries. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 66 + 52 heliports (registration prefix HB) |
| Railways | 5296 km |
| Pipelines | 1,800 km gas, 94 km oil (of which 60 are inactive), 17 km refined products (2017) |
Major airports
Geneva International Airport (GVA) — Geneva; Zürich Airport (ZRH) — Zurich; Bern Airport (BRN) — Bern; Lugano Airport (LUG) — Agno; Sankt Gallen Altenrhein Airport (ACH) — St. Gallen.
Terminals
| River ports | Basel (Rhine) |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | federal republic |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2023 — federal; 2023-10-22; winner: Swiss People's Party (SVP) (SVP); SVP 27.9%, 62/200 National Council seats Wikipedia |
| Next election | 2027 — federal (scheduled) |
Source: constitutional schedule / public election calendar
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Switzerland.
Historical timeline of Switzerland
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Switzerland — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Switzerland's power score?
Switzerland has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.