Switzerland Population: 8,292,809
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History | |
The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. A constitution of 1848, subsequently modified in 1874 to allow voters to introduce referenda on proposed laws, replaced the confederation with a centralized federal government. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two world wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations but retains a strong commitment to neutrality. |
Geography | |
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Location: | Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy |
Geographic coordinates: | 47 00 N, 8 00 E |
Area: | total: 41,277 sq km land: 39,997 sq km water: 1,280 sq km Size comparison: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey |
Land Boundaries: | total: 1,770 km border countries (5): Austria 158 km, France 525 km, Italy 698 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 348 km |
Coastline: | 0 km (landlocked) |
Maritime claims: | none (landlocked) |
Climate: | temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers |
Terrain: | 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 |
Land use: | agricultural land: 38.7% (2011 est.) arable land: 10.2% (2011 est.) permanent crops: 0.6% (2011 est.) permanent pasture: 27.9% (2011 est.) forest: 31.5% (2011 est.) other: 29.8% (2011 est.) |
Irrigated land: | 630 sq km (2012) |
Natural hazards: | avalanches, landslides; flash floods |
Current Environment Issues: | air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from agricultural fertilizers; chemical contaminants and erosion damage the soil and limit productivity; loss of biodiversity |
International Environment Agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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People | |
Nationality: | noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss |
Ethnic groups: | Swiss 70.3%, German 4.2%, Italian 3.2%, Portuguese 2.6%, French 2%, Kosovar 1%, other 18.7% (2017 est.) note: data represent permanent resident population by country of birth |
Languages: | German (or Swiss German) (official) 62.6%, French (official) 22.9%, Italian (official) 8.2%, English 5.4%, Portuguese 3.7%, Albanian 3.2%, Serbo-Croatian 2.5%, Spanish 2.4%, Romansh (official) 0.5%, other 7.7% (2017 est.) note: German, French, Italian, and Romansh are all national and official languages; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer |
Religions: | Roman Catholic 35.9%, Protestant 23.8%, other Christian 5.9%, Muslim 5.4%, Jewish 0.3%, other 1.4%, none 26%, unspecified 1.4% (2017 est.) |
Population: | 8,292,809 (July 2018 est.) |
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 15.23% (male 650,151 /female 612,479) 15-24 years: 10.69% (male 453,003 /female 433,101) 25-54 years: 42.88% (male 1,781,425 /female 1,774,124) 55-64 years: 12.88% (male 535,457 /female 532,454) 65 years and over: 18.34% (male 672,024 /female 848,591) (2018 est.) |
Dependency ratios: | total dependency ratio: 48.8 (2015 est.) youth dependency ratio: 22 (2015 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 26.8 (2015 est.) potential support ratio: 3.7 (2015 est.) |
Median age: | total: 42.5 years male: 41.5 years female: 43.5 years (2018 est.) |
Population growth rate: | 0.68% (2018 est.) |
Birth rate: | 10.5 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) |
Death rate: | 8.4 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) |
Net migration rate: | 4.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) |
Urbanization: | urban population: 73.8% of total population (2018) rate of urbanization: 0.88% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.) |
Major urban areas - population: | 1.371 million Zurich 422,000 BERN (capital) (2018) |
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2018 est.) Mother's mean age at first birth: 30.7 years (2014 est.) |
Maternal mortality rate: | 5 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
Infant mortality rate: | total: 3.6 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.) |
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 82.7 years male: 80.4 years female: 85.2 years (2018 est.) |
Total fertility rate: | 1.56 children born/woman (2018 est.) |
Contraceptive prevalence rate: | 72.9% (2012) |
Physicians density: | 4.24 physicians/1,000 population (2016) |
Hospital bed density: | 4.7 beds/1,000 population (2013) |
Drinking water source: | improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 100% of population total: 100% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 0% of population total: 0% of population (2015 est.) |
Sanitation facility access: | improved: urban: 99.9% of population (2015 est.) rural: 99.8% of population (2015 est.) total: 99.9% of population (2015 est.) unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population (2015 est.) rural: 0.2% of population (2015 est.) total: 0.1% of population (2015 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | n/a |
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | n/a |
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | n/a |
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: | 19.5% (2016) |
Education expenditures: | 5.1% of GDP (2016) |
Literacy: | |
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): | total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 16 years (2016) Unemployment, youth ages 15-24: total: 8.1% male: 8.1% female: 8% (2017 est.) |
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Government | |
Country name: | conventional long form: Swiss Confederation conventional short form: Switzerland local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German); Confederation Suisse (French); Confederazione Svizzera (Italian); Confederaziun Svizra (Romansh) local short form: Schweiz (German); Suisse (French); Svizzera (Italian); Svizra (Romansh) abbreviation: CH etymology: name derives from the canton of Schwyz, one of the founding cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy that formed in the 14th century |
Government type: | federal republic (formally a confederation) |
Capital: | name: Bern geographic coordinates: 46 55 N, 7 28 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Administrative divisions: | 26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; Kantone, singular - Kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Berne/Bern, Fribourg/Freiburg, Geneve (Geneva), Glarus, Graubuenden/Grigioni/Grischun, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais/Wallis, Vaud, Zug, Zuerich note: 6 of the cantons - Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Nidwalden, Obwalden - are referred to as half cantons because they elect only one member (instead of two) to the Council of States and, in popular referendums where a majority of popular votes and a majority of cantonal votes are required, these 6 cantons only have a half vote |
Independence: | 1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation) |
National holiday: | Founding of the Swiss Confederation in 1291; note - since 1 August 1891 celebrated as Swiss National Day |
Constitution: | history: previous 1848, 1874; latest adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, effective 1 January 2000 amendments: proposed by the two houses of the Federal Assembly or by petition of at least one hundred thousand voters (called the "federal popular initiative"); passage of proposals requires majority vote in a referendum; following drafting of an amendment by the Assembly, its passage requires approval by majority vote in a referendum and approval by the majority of cantons; amended many times, last in 2016 (2016) |
Legal system: | civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts, except for federal decrees of a general obligatory character |
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
Executive branch: | chief of state: President of the Swiss Confederation Ueli MAURER (since 1 January 2019); Vice President Simonetta SOMMARUGA (since 1 January 2019); note - the Federal Council, which is comprised of 7 federal councillors, constitutes the federal government of Switzerland; council members rotate the 1-year term of federal president (chief of state and head of government) head of government: President of the Swiss Confederation Ueli MAURER (since 1 January 2019); Vice President Simonetta SOMMARUGA (since 1 January 2019) cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) indirectly elected by members by the Federal Assembly for a 4-year term elections/appointments: president and vice president elected by the Federal Assembly from among members of the Federal Council for a 1-year, non-consecutive term; election last held on 5 December 2018 (next to be held in December 2019) election results: Ueli MAURER elected president; Federal Assembly vote - 201 of 209; Simonetta SOMMARUGA elected vice president; Federal Assembly vote - 196 of 216 |
Legislative branch: | description: description: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblée Fédérale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of: Council of States or Ständerat (in German), Conseil des États (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats; members in multi-seat constituencies representing cantons and single-seat constituencies representing half cantons directly elected by simple majority vote except Jura and Neuchatel cantons which use proportional representation vote; member term governed by cantonal law) National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats; 195 members in cantons directly elected by proportional representation vote and 6 in half cantons directly elected by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms) elections: Council of States - last held in most cantons on 18 October 2015 (each canton determines when the next election will be held) National Council - last held on 18 October 2015 (next to be held in October 2019) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CVP 13, FDP 12, SDP 12, SVP 6, other 3; composition - men 39, women 6, percent of women 13.3% National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 29.4%, SP 18.8%, FDP 16.4%, CVP 11.6%, Green Party 7.1%, GLP 4.6%, BDP 4.1%, other 8%; seats by party - SVP 68, SP 43, FDP 33, CVP 30, Green Party 12, GLP 7, BDP 7; composition - men 137, women 63, percent of women 31.5%; note - total Assembly percent of women 28.1% |
Judicial branch: | highest courts: Federal Supreme Court (consists of 38 justices and 19 deputy justices organized into 7 divisions) judge selection and term of office: judges elected by the Federal Assembly for 6-year terms; note - judges are affiliated with political parties and are elected according to linguistic and regional criteria in approximate proportion to the level of party representation in the Federal Assembly subordinate courts: Federal Criminal Court (established in 2004); Federal Administrative Court (established in 2007); note - each of Switzerland's 26 cantons has its own courts |
Political parties and leaders: | Christian Democratic People's Party (Christlichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC, Partito Popolare Democratico Svizzero or PPD, Partida Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Gerhard PFISTER] Conservative Democratic Party (Buergerlich-Demokratische Partei Schweiz or BDP, Parti Bourgeois Democratique Suisse or PBD, Partito Borghese Democratico Svizzero or PBD, Partido burgais democratica Svizera or PBD) [Martin LANDOLT] Free Democratic Party or FDP.The Liberals (FDP.Die Liberalen, PLR.Les Liberaux-Radicaux, PLR.I Liberali, Ils Liberals) [Petra GOESSI] Green Liberal Party (Gruenliberale Partei or GLP, Parti vert liberale or PVL, Partito Verde-Liberale or PVL, Partida Verde Liberale or PVL) [Juerg GROSSEN] Green Party (Gruene Partei der Schweiz or Gruene, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Regula RYTZ] Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SP, Parti Socialiste Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Christian LEVRAT] Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica di Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Albert ROESTI] other minor parties |
International organization participation: | ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, EITI (implementing country), ESA, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
National symbol(s): | Swiss cross (white cross on red field, arms equal length); national colors: red, white |
National anthem: | Leonhard WIDMER [German], Charles CHATELANAT [French], Camillo VALSANGIACOMO [Italian], and Flurin CAMATHIAS [Romansch]/Alberik ZWYSSIG the Swiss anthem has four names: "Schweizerpsalm" [German] "Cantique Suisse" [French] "Salmo svizzero," [Italian] "Psalm svizzer" [Romansch] (Swiss Psalm) note: unofficially adopted 1961, officially 1981; the anthem has been popular in a number of Swiss cantons since its composition (in German) in 1841; translated into the other three official languages of the country (French, Italian, and Romansch), it is official in each of those languages |
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Martin Werner DAHINDEN (since 18 November 2014) chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900 FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco |
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Edward "Ed" MCMULLEN, Jr. (since 21 November 2017) note - also accredited to Liechtenstein embassy: Sulgeneckstrasse 19, CH-3007 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (031) 357-70-11 FAX: [41] (031) 357-73-20 |
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Economy | |
Switzerland, a country that espouses neutrality, is a prosperous and modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP among the highest in the world. Switzerland's economy benefits from a highly developed service sector, led by financial services, and a manufacturing industry that specializes in high-technology, knowledge-based production. Its economic and political stability, transparent legal system, exceptional infrastructure, efficient capital markets, and low corporate tax rates also make Switzerland one of the world's most competitive economies. The Swiss have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to gain access to the Union’s Single Market and enhance the country’s international competitiveness. Some trade protectionism remains, however, particularly for its small agricultural sector. The fate of the Swiss economy is tightly linked to that of its neighbors in the euro zone, which purchases half of Swiss exports. The global financial crisis of 2008 and resulting economic downturn in 2009 stalled demand for Swiss exports and put Switzerland into a recession. During this period, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) implemented a zero-interest rate policy to boost the economy, as well as to prevent appreciation of the franc, and Switzerland's economy began to recover in 2010. The sovereign debt crises unfolding in neighboring euro-zone countries, however, coupled with economic instability in Russia and other Eastern European economies drove up demand for the Swiss franc by investors seeking a safehaven currency. In January 2015, the SNB abandoned the Swiss franc’s peg to the euro, roiling global currency markets and making active SNB intervention a necessary hallmark of present-day Swiss monetary policy. The independent SNB has upheld its zero interest rate policy and conducted major market interventions to prevent further appreciation of the Swiss franc, but parliamentarians have urged it to do more to weaken the currency. The franc's strength has made Swiss exports less competitive and weakened the country's growth outlook; GDP growth fell below 2% per year from 2011 through 2017. In recent years, Switzerland has responded to increasing pressure from neighboring countries and trading partners to reform its banking secrecy laws, by agreeing to conform to OECD regulations on administrative assistance in tax matters, including tax evasion. The Swiss Government has also renegotiated its double taxation agreements with numerous countries, including the US, to incorporate OECD standards. | |
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $523.1 billion (2017 est.) $514.5 billion (2016 est.) $506.5 billion (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars |
GDP (official exchange rate): | $679 billion (2017 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate: | 1.7% (2017 est.) 1.6% (2016 est.) 1.3% (2015 est.) |
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $62,100 (2017 est.) $61,800 (2016 est.) $61,500 (2015 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars |
Gross national saving: | 33.8% of GDP (2017 est.) 32.3% of GDP (2016 est.) 33.9% of GDP (2015 est.) GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 53.7% (2017 est.) government consumption: 12% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 24.5% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: -1.4% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 65.1% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -54% (2017 est.) GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 0.7% (2017 est.) industry: 25.6% (2017 est.) services: 73.7% (2017 est.) |
Agriculture - products: | grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs, dairy products |
Industries: | machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments, tourism, banking, insurance, pharmaceuticals |
Industrial production growth rate: | 3.4% (2017 est.) |
Labor force: | 5.159 million (2017 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 3.3% industry: 19.8% services: 76.9% (2015) |
Unemployment rate: | 3.2% (2017 est.) 3.3% (2016 est.) |
Population below poverty line: | 6.6% (2014 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 7.5% highest 10%: 19% (2007) |
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 29.5 (2014 est.) 33.1 (1992) |
Budget: | revenues: 242.1 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: 234.4 billion (2017 est.) note: includes federal, cantonal, and municipal budgets |
Taxes and other revenues: | 35.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.) Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-): 1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.) |
Public debt: | 41.8% of GDP (2017 est.) 41.8% of GDP (2016 est.) note: general government gross debt; gross debt consists of all liabilities that require payment or payments of interest and/or principal by the debtor to the creditor at a date or dates in the future; includes debt liabilities in the form of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), currency and deposits, debt securities, loans, insurance, pensions and standardized guarantee schemes, and other accounts payable; all liabilities in the GFSM (Government Financial Systems Manual) 2001 system are debt, except for equity and investment fund shares and financial derivatives and employee stock options |
Fiscal year: | calendar year |
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 0.5% (2017 est.) -0.4% (2016 est.) |
Current account balance: | $66.55 billion (2017 est.) $63.16 billion (2016 est.) |
Exports: | $313.5 billion (2017 est.) $318.1 billion (2016 est.) note: trade data exclude trade with Switzerland |
Exports - commodities: | machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products |
Exports - partners: | Germany 15.2%, US 12.3%, China 8.2%, India 6.7%, France 5.7%, UK 5.7%, Hong Kong 5.4%, Italy 5.3% (2017) |
Imports: | $264.5 billion (2017 est.) $266.3 billion (2016 est.) |
Imports - commodities: | machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles |
Imports - partners: | Germany 20.9%, US 7.9%, Italy 7.6%, UK 7.3%, France 6.8%, China 5% (2017) |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $811.2 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $679.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.) |
Debt - external: | $1.664 trillion (31 March 2016 est.) $1.663 trillion (31 March 2015 est.) |
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $1.489 trillion (31 December 2017 est.) $1.217 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) |
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $1.701 trillion (31 December 2017 est.) $1.528 trillion (31 December 2016 est.) |
Market value of publicly traded shares: | $1.519 trillion (31 December 2015 est.) $1.495 trillion (31 December 2014 est.) $1.541 trillion (31 December 2013 est.) |
Exchange rates: | Swiss francs (CHF) per US dollar - 0.9875 (2017 est.) 0.9852 (2016 est.) 0.9852 (2015 est.) 0.9627 (2014 est.) 0.9152 (2013 est.) |
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Energy | |
Electricity - production: | 59.01 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Electricity - consumption: | 58.46 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Electricity - exports: | 30.17 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Electricity - imports: | 34.1 billion kWh (2016 est.) |
Electricity - installed generating capacity: | 20.84 million kW (2016 est.) |
Electricity - from fossil fuels: | 3% of total installed capacity (2016 est.) |
Electricity - from nuclear fuels: | 18% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants: | 67% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
Electricity - from other renewable sources: | 13% of total installed capacity (2017 est.) |
Crude oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Crude oil - exports: | 0 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Crude oil - imports: | 57,400 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Crude oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - production: | 61,550 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - consumption: | 223,900 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - exports: | 7,345 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Refined petroleum products - imports: | 165,100 bbl/day (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - consumption: | 3.709 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - imports: | 3.681 billion cu m (2017 est.) |
Natural gas - proved reserves: | n/acu m (1 January 2011 est.) |
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy: | 38.95 million Mt (2017 est.) |
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Communications | |
Cellular Phones in use: | total subscriptions: 11.292 million subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 137 (2017 est.) |
Telephone system: | general assessment: highly developed telecommunications infrastructure with extensive domestic and international services; one of the highest broadband penetration rates in Europe; although not a member of the EU, Switzerland follows the EU's telecom framework, and regulations; broad DSL infrastructure and cable broadband network with good competition; LTE, DOCSIS3.1 and 5G promotions by the govt (2018) domestic: ranked among leading countries for fixed-line teledensity and infrastructure; fixed-line 45 per 100 and mobile-cellular subscribership 137 per 100 persons; extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks (2018) international: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean) |
Broadcast media: | the publicly owned radio and TV broadcaster, Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG/SSR), operates 8 national TV networks, 3 broadcasting in German, 3 in French, and 2 in Italian; private commercial TV stations broadcast regionally and locally; TV broadcasts from stations in Germany, Italy, and France are widely available via multi-channel cable and satellite TV services; SRG/SSR operates 17 radio stations that, along with private broadcasters, provide national to local coverage ) (2019) |
Internet country code: | .ch |
Internet users: | total: 7,312,744 percent of population: 89.4% (July 2016 est.) |
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Transportation | |
Airports: | 63 (2013) |
Airports (paved runways): | total 40 (2013) over 3,047 m: 3 (2013) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2013) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2013) 914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2013) under 914 m: 17 (2013) |
Airports (unpaved runways): | total 23 (2013) under 914 m: 23 (2013) |
Heliports: | 2 (2013) |
Pipelines: | 1,800 km gas, 94 km oil (of which 60 are inactive), 17 km refined products (2017) |
Railways: | total 5,196 km (includes 19 km in neighboring countries) (2015) standard gauge: 3,836 km 1.435-m gauge (3,634.1 km electrified) (2015) narrow gauge: 1,630 km 1.200-m gauge (2 km electrified) (includes 19 km in neighboring countries) (2015) 1188.3 1.000-m gauge (1,167.3 km electrified) 36.4 0.800-m gauge (36.4 km electrified) |
Roadways: | total 71,557 km (2017) paved: 71,557 km (includes 1,458 of expressways) (2017) |
Waterways: | 1,292 km (there are 1,227 km of waterways on lakes and rivers for public transport and 65 km on the Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee for commercial goods transport) (2010) |
Merchant marine: | total 30 includes Liechtenstein by type: bulk carrier 24, general cargo 4, oil tanker 2 (2019) |
Ports and terminals: | river port(s): Basel (Rhine) |
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Military | |
Military branches: | Swiss Armed Forces: Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer Luftwaffe) (2019) |
Military service age and obligation: | 18-30 years of age generally for male compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; every Swiss male has to serve at least 245 days in the armed forces; conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by six 19-day intermittent recalls for training during the next 10 years (2019) |
Military expenditures: | 0.71% of GDP (2018) 0.68% of GDP (2017) 0.68% of GDP (2016) 0.66% of GDP (2015) 0.66% of GDP (2014) |
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Transnational Issues | |
Disputes - International: | none |
Refugees and internally displaced persons: | refugees (country of origin): 34,072 (Eritrea), 16,565 (Syria), 12,282 (Afghanistan), 5,744 (Sri Lanka) (2018) stateless persons: 49 (2018) |
Illicit drugs: | a major international financial center vulnerable to the layering and integration stages of money laundering; despite significant legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules persist and nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through offshore entities and various intermediaries; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and Western European synthetics; domestic cannabis cultivation and limited ecstasy production |
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Source: CIA - The World Factbook