Switzerland

• temperate, but varies with altitude;
• cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters;
• cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

• landlocked;
• crossroads of northern and southern Europe;
• along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps

noun:

Swiss (singular and plural)

adjective:

Swiss

total:

44.4 years (2025 est.)

male:

43.5 years

female:

44.9 years

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.)

total:

3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

3.4 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

2.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

83.9 years (2024 est.)

male:

82 years

female:

85.8 years

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.)

total:

22.8% (2025 est.)

male:

25.5% (2025 est.)

female:

20.1% (2025 est.)

• air pollution from vehicle emissions;
• water pollution from agricultural fertilizers;
• soil pollution from chemical contaminants;
• soil erosion;
• loss of biodiversity

• temperate, but varies with altitude;
• cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters;
• cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

urban population:

74.2% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

6.08 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

30.1% (2022 est.)

municipal:

930 million cubic meters (2022)

industrial:

642.7 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

160.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

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

etymology:

the origin of the name is uncertain; it is sometimes associated with the German word Baer (bear), but a more likely origin is an Indo-European root word ber , meaning "marshy place"

history:

previous 1848, 1874; latest adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, effective 1 January 2000

amendment process:

• 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

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Switzerland

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

12 years including at least 3 of the last 5 years prior to application

legislature name:

Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung - Assemblée fédérale - Assemblea federale)

legislative structure:

bicameral

chamber name:

National Council (Nationalrat - Conseil national - Consiglio nazionale)

number of seats:

200 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

proportional representation

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

10/22/2023

parties elected and seats per party:

• Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) (62);
• Socialist Party (SP/PS) (41);
• Centre Party (29);
• FDP/The Liberals (FDP/PLR) (28);
• Green Party (GPS/PES) (23);
• Liberal Green Party (GLP/PVL) (10);
• Other (7)

percentage of women in chamber:

39.5%

expected date of next election:

October 2027

chamber name:

Council of States (Ständerat - Conseil des Etats - Consiglio degli Stati)

number of seats:

46 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

other systems

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

10/22/2023

parties elected and seats per party:

• Centre Party (15);
• FDP/The Liberals (FDP/PLR) (11);
• Socialist Party (SP/PS) (9);
• Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) (6);
• Green Party (GPS/PES) (3);
• Other (2)

percentage of women in chamber:

33.3%

expected date of next election:

October 2027

highest court(s):

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;
• judges are affiliated with political parties and are elected according to linguistic and regional criteria in approximate proportion to 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

• The Center (Die Mitte, Alleanza del Centro, Le Centre, Allianza dal Center) (merger of the Christian Democratic People's Party and the Conservative Democratic Party)
• Evangelical Peoples' Party or EVP/PEV
• Federal Democrats or EDU
• Geneva Citizens Movement or MCR/MCG
• Green Liberal Party (Gruenliberale Partei or GLP, Parti vert liberale or PVL, Partito Verde-Liberale or PVL, Partida Verde Liberale or PVL)
• 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)
• The Liberals or FDP.The Liberals (FDP.Die Liberalen, PLR.Les Liberaux-Radicaux, PLR.I Liberali, Ils Liberals)
• 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)
• 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)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ralph HECKNER (since 18 September 2024)

chancery:

2900 Cathedral Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 745-7900

FAX:

[1] (202) 387-2564

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.eda.admin.ch/washington

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Chicago, New York, San Francisco

consulate(s):

Boston

chief of mission:

Ambassador Callista GINGRICH (since 23 October 2025) note - also accredited to Liechtenstein

embassy:

Sulgeneckstrasse 19, CH-3007 Bern

mailing address:

5110 Bern Place, Washington DC 20521-5110

telephone:

[41] (031) 357-70-11

FAX:

[41] (031) 357-73-20

email address and website:

https://ch.usembassy.gov/

description:

red square with an equal-armed white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag

history:

the origin of the flag is unclear, but a white cross was used to identify Swiss Confederation troops at the Battle of Laupen (1339)

note: in 1863, the newly formed International Red Cross chose the inverse of the Swiss flag -- a red cross on a white field -- as its symbol

total World Heritage Sites:

13 (9 cultural, 4 natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Old City of Berne (c);
• Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch (n);
• Monte San Giorgio (n);
• Abbey of St Gall (c);
• Three Castles, Defensive Wall, and Ramparts of the Market-Town of Bellinzona (c);
• Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes (c);
• La Chaux-de-Fonds/Le Locle, Watchmaking Town Planning (c);
• Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps (c);
• Benedictine Convent of St John at Müstair (c);
• Lavaux, Vineyard Terraces (c)

• high-income, non-EU European economy;
• top ten in GDP per capita;
• renowned banking and financial hub;
• low unemployment and inflation;
• slowed GDP growth post-pandemic;
• highly skilled but aging workforce;
• key pharmaceutical and precision manufacturing exporter;
• leader in innovation and competitiveness indices

total:

7.9% (2024 est.)

male:

8.3% (2024 est.)

female:

7.5% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

3.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

lowest 10%:

3% (2021 est.)

highest 10%:

26.6% (2021 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Number of operational nuclear reactors:

4 (2025)

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors:

2.97GW (2025 est.)

Percent of total electricity production:

32.4% (2023 est.)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down:

2 (2025)

consumption:

126,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

exports:

300 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

156,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

total petroleum production:

300 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

194,000 bbl/day (2024 est.)

consumption:

2.915 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports:

2.869 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

• publicly owned Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG/SSR) has 8 national TV networks, 3 broadcasting in German, 3 in French, and 2 in Italian;
• private commercial TV stations broadcast regionally and locally;
• German, Italian, and French TV broadcasts widely available via multi-channel cable and satellite TV;
• SRG/SSR has 17 radio stations (2019)

total:

17 (2023)

by type:

bulk carrier 14, general cargo 1, other 2 (includes Liechtenstein)

• the military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported European and US weapons systems;
• the Swiss defense industry produces a range of military land vehicles (2025)

• every Swiss man 18-30 is obligated to serve in the military or the alternative civilian service;
• women can serve on a voluntary basis;
• required military service is 245 days, including 18-21 weeks of basic training generally between the ages of 19-25, followed by six three-week recalls for refresher training over the following nine years;
• the system offers opportunities for conscripts to train as non-commissioned and commissioned officers in the militia with longer service commitments (2026)

note: alternative civilian service is up to 370 days or 1.5x as many days as military service

• the Swiss military is responsible for territorial defense, limited support to international disaster response and peacekeeping, and providing support to civil authorities when their resources are not sufficient to ward off threats to internal security or provide sufficient relief during disasters;
• Switzerland has long maintained a policy of military neutrality but does periodically participate in EU, NATO, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and UN military and peacekeeping operations;
• however, Swiss units will only participate in operations under the mandate of the UN or OSCE;
• Switzerland joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1996;
• it has contributed to the NATO-led force in Kosovo (KFOR) since 1999 (2025)

refugees:

213,177 (2024 est.)

IDPs:

97 (2024 est.)

stateless persons:

1,267 (2024 est.)