Switzerland

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country in the heart of Europe, where Central, Western, and Southern Europe meet. It shares borders with Germany to the north, France to the west, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east, and Italy to the south. The country has three main regions: the Swiss Alps, which cover most of its land, the Swiss Plateau, and the Jura Mountains. Most of its 9 million people live on the plateau, where many of the largest cities and economic centres are found, including Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, Lausanne, Winterthur, and Lucerne. (Other meanings of these names can be found on Switzerland (disambiguation) and Swiss Confederation (disambiguation).)

Switzerland is a federal republic made up of 26 cantons. Bern is the federal city and the seat of the national government. The country has four main language and cultural regions: German, French, Italian, and Romansh. This reflects a long tradition of speaking several languages and welcoming many cultures. Even so, Swiss people share a strong national identity, based on a common history, values such as federalism and direct democracy, and Alpine symbols. Swiss nationhood goes beyond language, ethnicity, and religion, so Switzerland is often called a Willensnation ("nation of volition") rather than a typical nation state.

The country began as the Old Swiss Confederacy, formed in the Late Middle Ages as a defensive and commercial alliance. The Federal Charter of 1291 is considered its founding document. The confederation grew and became stronger despite outside threats and political and religious strife within. In 1648, the Peace of Westphalia formally recognized Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire. The confederation was one of the first and few republics of the early modern period, and the only one besides San Marino to survive the Napoleonic Wars. In 1798, revolutionary France invaded and imposed the centralist Helvetic Republic. Napoleon abolished this republic in 1803 and reinstated a confederation. After the Napoleonic Wars, Switzerland restored its pre-revolutionary system. However, by 1830, the country faced growing division and conflict between liberal and conservative movements. This led to a new constitution in 1848, which created the current federal system and protected principles such as individual rights, separation of powers, and parliamentary bicameralism.

Switzerland has followed a policy of armed neutrality since the 16th century and has not fought an international war since 1815. It joined the Council of Europe in 1964 and the United Nations (UN) in 2002. It is active in world affairs, often taking part in peace building and global governance. Switzerland is the birthplace of the Red Cross and hosts the headquarters or offices of many major international institutions, including the WTO, the WHO, the ILO, FIFA, the WEF, and the UN. It is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and takes part in the European single market and the Schengen Area. Switzerland is among the world's most developed countries, with the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. It performs highly on several international measures, including economic competitiveness, democratic governance, and press freedom. Zurich, Geneva, and Basel rank among the highest for quality of life, although they also have some of the highest costs of living. The country is known for its long banking and financial sector, advanced pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and its strong tradition of watchmaking, precision engineering, and technology. It is also famous for its chocolate and cheese production, its well-developed tourism industry, and its growing startup sector.

Main article: Name of Switzerland

The English name Switzerland combines Switzer, an old word for a Swiss person used from the 1500s to the 1800s, with the English ending -land, which means a region or country. The English word Swiss comes from the French Suisse, and Switzer comes from the Alemannic Schwiizer, which first meant someone from Schwyz and its associated territory, one of the Waldstätte cantons that formed the core of the Old Swiss Confederacy. After the Swabian War of 1499, the Swiss began to use this name for themselves, alongside Eidgenossen, meaning "comrades by oath," which had been used since the 1300s. The country codes CH and CHE come from the Latin Confoederatio Helvetica (Helvetic Confederation). The name Schwyz was first written down in 972 as Old High German Suittes, perhaps related to a word meaning "to burn," because the land was cleared by burning forest. Later, the name spread to the whole Swiss German country. The Latin name was neologised and introduced gradually after the formation of the federal state in 1848, recalling the Helvetic Republic. It appeared on coins from 1879, on the Federal Palace in 1902, and after 1948 in the official seal. It also gave the ISO banking code "CHF" for the Swiss franc, the Swiss stamps ("HELVETIA"), and the ".ch" internet domain. The name Helvetica comes from the Helvetii, a Gaulish tribe who lived on the Swiss Plateau before the Roman era, and it later gave its name to a typeface developed in 1960. Helvetia appeared as a national personification of the Swiss confederacy in the 1600s, in a 1672 play by Johann Caspar Weissenbach.

History

Main article: History of Switzerland

The state of Switzerland took its present form with the adoption of the Swiss Federal Constitution in 1848. Switzerland's precursors established a defensive alliance in 1291, forming a loose confederation that lasted for centuries. The oldest traces of early humans in Switzerland date to about 150,000 years ago, and the oldest known farming settlements, found at Gächlingen, date to around 5300 BC. The earliest known tribes formed the Hallstatt and La Tène cultures. One of the most prominent La Tène tribes were the Helvetii, who lived mainly on the Swiss Plateau. In 58 BC, the Helvetii decided to leave for better opportunities, but they were defeated by Julius Caesar's armies at the Battle of Bibracte. Afterward, they were forced to return to their lands. In 15 BC, Tiberius and his brother Drusus brought the Alps into the Roman Empire. The first and second centuries AD were a time of prosperity on the Swiss Plateau, with towns such as Aventicum, Iulia Equestris and Augusta Raurica growing large. Later, raids by the Alamanni tribes damaged the Roman towns, and by the end of the fourth century, Germanic tribes were able to settle the Swiss Plateau. In the Early Middle Ages, the Kings of the Burgundians introduced the French language to the western part of the area, and the Alemanni settled the valleys of the Alps. The region became part of the Frankish Empire in the sixth century, after Clovis I won a victory over the Alemanni at Tolbiac. The Frankish Empire was later divided by the Treaty of Verdun in 843, and the territories were reunified under the Holy Roman Empire around 1000 AD. By 1200, the Swiss Plateau was divided among the houses of Savoy, Zähringer, Habsburg, and Kyburg. Some mountain regions, including Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden, were given Imperial immediacy, which placed them under direct control of the empire.

The Old Swiss Confederacy was an alliance among the valley communities of the central Alps, governed by nobles and patricians. The Federal Charter of 1291 is considered its founding document, and it was agreed among the rural communes of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden. By 1353, the alliance had grown to eight states, including Glarus, Zug, Lucerne, Zurich, and Bern. The confederates became powerful, and they won battles against the Habsburgs and Charles the Bold of Burgundy. In 1499, the Swiss victory in the Swabian War gave them de facto independence within the Holy Roman Empire. A setback came in 1515 at the Battle of Marignano, which ended the so-called "heroic" epoch of Swiss history. Religious conflicts followed the success of Zwingli's Reformation in some cantons. In 1648, under the Peace of Westphalia, European countries recognised Switzerland's independence and its neutrality. Later, the Swiss peasant war of 1653 and conflicts between Catholic and Protestant cantons caused further trouble.

In 1798, the revolutionary French government invaded Switzerland and imposed a new unified constitution, which effectively abolished the cantons. This new regime, known as the Helvetic Republic, was highly unpopular. In 1803, Napoleon organised a meeting of Swiss politicians in Paris, which resulted in the Act of Mediation. This restored much of Swiss self-rule and created a Confederation of 19 cantons. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna fully re-established Swiss independence and recognised permanent Swiss neutrality. Switzerland's borders saw only minor changes afterward. After a period of unrest, civil war (the Sonderbundskrieg) broke out in 1847 and lasted less than a month. The war convinced most Swiss of the need for unity, and the country created a constitution with a federal layout, much of it inspired by the United States Constitution. In 1850, the Swiss franc became the single currency. The 1874 revision introduced the facultative referendum, and in 1891, the constitution was revised with uncommonly strong elements of direct democracy, which remain unique today. During World War I, Switzerland was not invaded. In 1920, Switzerland joined the League of Nations, which was based in Geneva. During World War II, Switzerland was never attacked. General Henri Guisan ordered a general mobilisation, and Switzerland remained independent through a combination of military deterrence, concessions to Germany, and good fortune. Switzerland interned over 300,000 refugees, aided by the International Red Cross, based in Geneva. After the war, Switzerland donated to the Marshall Plan to help Europe's recovery. Switzerland joined the Council of Europe in 1963. Women gained the right to vote at the federal level in 1971, and the last canton, Appenzell Innerrhoden, approved it in 1990. In 2002, Switzerland became a full member of the United Nations and joined the United Nations family of countries. Switzerland has voted on its relationship with the European Union several times, and the membership application was withdrawn. Swiss voters agreed to join the Schengen treaty in 2005.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Switzerland

Switzerland stretches across the north and south sides of the Alps in west-central Europe, and covers 41,291 square kilometres (15,943 sq mi). The country has three main areas: the Swiss Alps in the south, the Swiss Plateau, and the Jura Mountains in the west. The Alps cover about 60% of the country, but most people live on the plateau. Major rivers such as the Rhine, Inn, Ticino and Rhône start in the Alps. Switzerland has more than 1,500 lakes, including Lake Geneva, Lake Constance and Lake Maggiore. Forty-eight mountains are 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) or higher. Monte Rosa is the highest, and the Matterhorn is the best known. The climate is generally temperate, but it varies a lot, from glacier conditions on mountaintops to a near-Mediterranean climate at Switzerland's southern tip.

Global warming has changed Switzerland's climate, and heat waves and heavy rainfall have become more frequent. The national average temperature has risen by 2.9 °C since 1871–1900, which is more than twice the global average. The nine warmest years on record in Switzerland were all after 2010, and 2022 was the hottest. Switzerland's environment is sensitive to climate change. The country ranked first among 132 nations in the 2014 Environmental Performance Index, and it pledged to cut GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. However, Switzerland has far less biocapacity per person than the world average, and its ecological footprint is 4.6 times what its land can support.

Main articles: Geography of Switzerland § Environment, Environmental movement in Switzerland, and Health in Switzerland § Environmental issues related to health

Main article: Towns of Switzerland

About 85% of people live in urban areas. Switzerland changed from a mostly rural country to an urban one between 1930 and 2000. The plateau is densely populated, with about 400 people per square kilometre, and it has many towns of different sizes. The largest metropolitan areas are Zurich, Geneva–Lausanne, Basel and Bern.

Government and politics

Main articles: Politics of Switzerland and Elections in Switzerland

Main article: Voting in Switzerland

See also: Spatial planning in Switzerland

Main article: Cantons of Switzerland

Main article: Municipalities of Switzerland

Main article: Foreign relations of Switzerland

Main articles: Swiss Armed Forces and Pontifical Swiss Guard

The Federal Constitution, adopted in 1848, is the legal foundation of Switzerland's federal state. It has been completely revised twice, in 1874 and 1999. It describes people's rights, divides powers between the confederation and the cantons, and sets out the main bodies of government. The Federal Assembly is the parliament and has two houses: the Council of States, with 46 members, and the National Council, with 200 members elected by proportional representation. Members serve four-year terms and work part-time. The Federal Council is the executive. It has seven members who lead government departments, and one member becomes President of the Confederation each year, but the president has no additional powers. The government has been a coalition of the four major parties since 1959, a arrangement called the "magic formula." The Federal Supreme Court hears appeals, and its judges are elected for six-year terms. Switzerland is known for direct democracy and federalism. Citizens can challenge laws through optional referendums, propose changes to the constitution through popular initiatives, and vote on constitutional changes in a mandatory referendum.

Switzerland has 26 cantons, which are federated states with a high degree of independence. Each canton has its own constitution, parliament, government, police and courts. The cantons differ a lot in population and size. The cantons are divided into 2,110 municipalities as of 2026. Until 1848, the Confederation had no central government, and it met in various places to discuss shared issues. In 1848, the Federal Assembly chose Bern as the seat of government, while other federal institutions were placed in cities such as Zurich, Lucerne, Lausanne, Bellinzona and St. Gallen. Bern is often called the "Federal City," but no Swiss city has official status as a capital. Switzerland has been neutral since 1515 and avoids alliances that could lead to military or political action. It joined the United Nations-related community in 2002 and is not a member of the European Union, though it takes part in the Schengen Area. Its Swiss Armed Forces rely mostly on conscripts, and because it is landlocked, it has no navy.

Economy

Main articles: Economy of Switzerland and Economic history of Switzerland

See also: Banking in Switzerland and Federal budget of Switzerland

Switzerland has a stable, prosperous and high-tech economy. It is often ranked among the world's wealthiest countries per person. For example, in 2024 the CIA world factbook ranked Switzerland 10th for GDP per capita (at purchasing power parity). The country ranks as one of the least corrupt countries in the world, but its banking sector was rated in 2018 as "one of the most corrupt in the world". Switzerland has the world's twentieth largest economy by nominal GDP and the thirty-eighth largest by purchasing power parity. As of 2021, it is the thirteenth largest exporter and the fifth largest per person. Zurich and Geneva are regarded as global cities, ranked as Alpha and Beta respectively. Basel is the capital of Switzerland's pharmaceutical industry, hosting Novartis, Roche, and many other players. It is one of the world's most important centres for the life sciences industry. Switzerland had the second-highest global rating in the Index of Economic Freedom in 2023, while also providing significant public services. Per person, nominal GDP is higher than in the larger Western and Central European economies and Japan. Adjusted for purchasing power, Switzerland ranked 11th in 2017, fifth in 2018, and ninth in 2020. The European Union labelled Switzerland Europe's most innovative country. Switzerland kept the top rank as the most innovative country in the Global Innovation Index in 2026, holding the title consecutively since 2019. It ranked 20th of 189 countries in the Ease of Doing Business Index. Slow growth in the 1990s and the early 2000s increased support for economic reforms and harmonisation with the European Union. In 2020, IMD placed Switzerland first in attracting skilled workers. Switzerland has one of the world's largest account balances as a percentage of GDP. For much of the 20th century, Switzerland was the wealthiest country in Europe by a considerable margin. In 2018, the canton of Basel-City had the highest GDP per capita, ahead of Zug and Geneva. According to Credit Suisse, only about 37% of residents own their own homes, one of the lowest rates of home ownership in Europe. Housing and food price levels were 171% and 145% of the EU-25 index in 2007, compared to 113% and 104% in Germany. Switzerland is home to several large multinational corporations. The largest by revenue include Glencore, Gunvor, Nestlé, Mediterranean Shipping Company, Novartis, Hoffmann-La Roche, ABB, Mercuria Energy Group and Adecco. Also notable are UBS, Zurich Insurance, Richemont, Credit Suisse, Barry Callebaut, Swiss Re, Rolex, Tetra Pak, Swatch Group and Swiss International Air Lines. Manufacturing is Switzerland's most important economic sector. Products include speciality chemicals, health and pharmaceutical goods, scientific and precision measuring instruments and musical instruments. The service sector, especially banking, insurance, commodities trading, tourism, and international organisations, is also important. Exported services make up a third of exports. Agricultural protectionism, a rare exception to Switzerland's free trade policies, contributes to high food prices. According to the OECD, product market liberalisation is lagging behind many EU countries. Apart from agriculture, economic and trade barriers between the European Union and Switzerland are minimal. Switzerland has free trade agreements with many countries and is a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Switzerland is considered the "land of Cooperatives", with the ten largest cooperative companies accounting for more than 11% of GDP in 2018. They include Migros and Coop, the two largest retail companies in Switzerland.

Taxation and government spending

See also: Taxation in Switzerland

Labour force

See also: Immigration to Switzerland

Science

Main article: Science and technology in Switzerland

See also: List of Swiss Nobel laureates

Energy

See also: Energy in Switzerland

Transport

Main article: Transport in Switzerland

Environment

Main articles: Environment of Switzerland and Waste management in Switzerland

Switzerland is a tax haven with a private sector economy that dominates. It has low tax rates, and its tax revenue to GDP ratio is one of the smallest of developed countries. The main sources of federal income are the value-added tax and direct federal tax. Total government spending is closer to 33.8% of GDP. About 6,562,600 motor vehicles were registered in 2025. About 2 in 3 Swiss francs of federal money... (omitted). Switzerland has a more flexible labour market than its neighbours, and its unemployment rate is consistently low. The foreign citizen population was 28.9% in 2015. The median monthly gross income in 2022 was 6,788 francs. Income inequality is relatively low, with a Gini coefficient of 29.7. About 8.2% of the population live below the national poverty line. Switzerland is among the countries with the highest number of Nobel laureates, both in total and per capita. Albert Einstein became a Swiss citizen in 1901 and developed his theory of special relativity in Bern. Laureates born or naturalised in Switzerland include Vladimir Prelog, Heinrich Rohrer, Richard Ernst, Edmond Fischer, Rolf Zinkernagel, Kurt Wüthrich and Jacques Dubochet. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded nine times to organisations headquartered in Switzerland.

Geneva and the nearby French department of Ain co-host CERN, the world's largest laboratory, dedicated to particle physics research. The Paul Scherrer Institute conducts multi-disciplinary research in the natural and engineering sciences. Notable Swiss inventions include lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), diazepam (Valium), Velcro, and the scanning tunnelling microscope, which earned Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics. Auguste Piccard became the first person to enter the Stratosphere with his pressurised hydrogen balloon, and his son Jacques Piccard became one of the first people to explore the deepest known part of the world's ocean, along with American Don Walsh. The Swiss Space Office was one of the 10 founders of the European Space Agency in 1975 and is the seventh largest contributor to its budget. Companies such as Oerlikon Space and Maxon Motors take part in the space industry.

Electricity generated in Switzerland is 56% from hydroelectricity and 39% from nuclear power, producing negligible CO₂. In 2011, after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the government announced plans to end the use of nuclear energy within the following 20 to 30 years. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy is responsible for energy supply and use within the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC). The agency supports the 2000-watt society initiative, which aims to cut the nation's energy use by more than half by 2050. Voters have rejected anti-nuclear referendums and a Green Party proposal to speed up the end of nuclear power. Switzerland's rail network is the densest in Europe, and it carried 614 million passengers in 2023. Most of it is run by the Swiss Federal Railways, and it is almost completely electrified. The Rhaetian Railway and the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn operate narrow gauge networks, and together they run the Glacier Express between Zermatt and St. Moritz/Davos. Switzerland also operates the world's longest and deepest railway tunnel, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, part of the New Railway Link through the Alps project. Public transport is very popular, and Zurich Airport is the largest international gateway, handling 31.2 million passengers in 2024. Other international airports include Geneva Airport, EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, Bern Airport, Lugano Airport, St. Gallen-Altenrhein Airport and Sion Airport. Swiss International Air Lines is the flag carrier. Switzerland's road network is toll-free but uses a yearly vignette for the autoroute system. Switzerland has signed the Kyoto Protocol and was a founding member of the Environmental Integrity Group. The country is one of the world's top recyclers and uses incinerators for energy-producing waste disposal.

Demographics

Main articles: Demographics of Switzerland, Swiss people, and Crime in Switzerland

Further information: List of Swiss people

Main article: List of cities in Switzerland

Main article: Immigration to Switzerland

Main article: Languages of Switzerland

Main article: Religion in Switzerland

Main article: Education in Switzerland

Main articles: Health in Switzerland and Healthcare in Switzerland

The Swiss population is about 9 million as of June 2024. Like other developed countries, Switzerland grew quickly during the industrial era, and the number of people quadrupled between 1800 and 1990. Growth is expected to continue to 2035, mostly because of immigration. Like most of Europe, Switzerland has an ageing population, with a fertility rate close to replacement level. It has one of the world's oldest populations, with an average age of 44.5 years. According to the World Factbook, the largest group in 2020 was Swiss (69.2%), followed by German, Italian, Portuguese, French, Kosovan, Turkish, and others. The Council of Europe suggests about 30,000 Romani people live in the country. In 2023, foreign residents made up 26.3% of the population, and most of them (83%) came from European countries. Italy was the largest single group, followed by Germany, Portugal, and France, while Sri Lanka was the largest Asian group, mostly made up of former Tamil refugees. Institutions raised concern about xenophobia in the 2000s, and in 2018, 59% of people considered racism a serious problem in Switzerland. Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh, a Romance language spoken in the canton of Grisons. In 2016, the most spoken languages at home were Swiss German, French, Standard German, and Italian, with English, Portuguese, Albanian, Spanish, and Serbian and Croatian also common. Many Swiss speak more than one language, and Swiss Standard German and Swiss French include words known as Helvetisms that are not used outside Switzerland. Learning another national language is compulsory for Swiss pupils, and most Swiss also learn English, which often works as a lingua franca.

Religion is also varied. Catholicism (31.9%) and Swiss Protestantism (20.4%) are the largest groups, and Islam (5.8%) is the largest non-Christian religion. About one third of people (33.8%) are unaffiliated with any religious community. Switzerland has no official state religion, though most cantons recognise an official church, and the Swiss Reformed Church and Old Catholic Church are funded through church tax. Education is also organised by the cantons, as the constitution of Switzerland gives them responsibility for schools. Pupils usually start primary education at about age four to six, and students may take the matura. Switzerland has 12 universities, and the University of Zurich is the largest, with nearly 25,000 students. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne are run by the federal government. Health is generally good: in the 2023 OECD report, the life expectancy was 83.9 years, which is 3.6 years higher than the OECD average. Switzerland also faces issues with high drugs consumption, smoking, and mental illness.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Switzerland

See also: Music of Switzerland, Swiss folklore, and Alpine culture

Swiss culture is very varied, and many traditional customs reflect this. A region may share some culture with the neighbouring country that speaks its language, all rooted in western European culture. The Romansh culture in Graubünden is an exception. It survives only in the upper valleys of the Rhine and the Inn, where people work to keep their rare language alive. Switzerland has produced famous artists, writers, musicians and scientists, and it has 1000 museums. Major yearly events include the Paléo Festival, Lucerne Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Locarno International Film Festival and Art Basel. Switzerland has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest three times and has won it three times, through Lys Assia, Celine Dion and Nemo. Alpine life has shaped Swiss history and identity. Many people visit the ski resorts for winter sports, and in summer they go mountain biking. The alphorn, yodelling and the accordion are well-known parts of Swiss music.

Swiss food varies by region, and dishes such as fondue, raclette and rösti are very common. Traditional Swiss cooking also uses unique dairy products and cheeses such as Emmental. Chocolate has been made in Switzerland since the 18th century, and the Swiss are the world's largest chocolate eaters. The most popular alcoholic drink is Swiss wine, mainly made in Valais, Vaud, Geneva and Ticino. The most common grapes are Chasselas and Pinot Noir, while Merlot is the main grape in Ticino. Information about Swiss literature, Swiss media and Swiss cuisine is also available.

Skiing, snowboarding and mountaineering are among the most popular sports because of the country's mountains. The bobsleigh was invented in St. Moritz. Football and ice hockey are the most watched sports. The headquarters of FIFA and the International Ice Hockey Federation are in Zurich, and the International Olympic Committee is in Lausanne. Switzerland hosted the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Many Swiss follow ice hockey, and the National League is the most attended league in Europe. The famous tennis player Roger Federer won 20 Grand Slam tournaments. Sailing is also popular because of the many lakes, and Lake Geneva is home to the sailing team Alinghi. Traditional sports include Schwingen, Hornussen and Steinstossen, which is connected to the Unspunnenfest. For more about Sport in Switzerland, see that article.