---
title: "France vs Switzerland — area, population, currency"
description: "France is 643,801 km² with 68,720,337 people; Switzerland is 41,277 km² with 9,092,436. Area, density, currency, languages and time zones side by side."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-switzerland/
site: "At One Place"
---

# France vs Switzerland

**France vs Switzerland: France is larger; France has more people**

643,801 km² vs 41,277 km² · 68,720,337 vs 9,092,436

France is 16 times larger than Switzerland — 643,801 against 41,277 km². France is 7.6 times more populous than Switzerland — 68,720,337 against 9,092,436 people.

## Side by side

|  | France | Switzerland |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital | Paris | Bern |
| Area | 643,801 km² | 41,277 km² |
| Population | 68,720,337 (2025) | 9,092,436 (2025) |
| Density | 106.7 /km² | 220.3 /km² |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Swiss franc (CHF) |
| Official languages | French | German, French, Italian, Romansh |
| Time zones | UTC+01:00 | UTC+01:00 |
| Calling code | +33 | +41 |
| Drives on the | right | right |
| Continent | Europe | Europe |
| ISO codes | FR / FRA | CH / CHE |

## Population density

Switzerland is 2.1 times more densely populated than France — 220 against 107 people per km². Density is where area and population interact, and it often reverses the impression the headline figures give — a large country with a small population can feel emptier than a small crowded one by an enormous margin.

## Practical differences

- Different currencies: the Euro and the Swiss franc.

## France

Mont Blanc on the Italian border is 4,806 m, the highest point in western Europe. Counting its overseas departments, France spans twelve time zones — more than any other country — and its exclusive economic zone is the second largest in the world. The Gouffre Mirolda and other Alpine systems make it one of the great caving countries.

## Switzerland

The most mountainous country in Europe: the Alps cover about sixty percent of it and it has 48 peaks over 4,000 m. The Gotthard Base Tunnel, 57 km long, is the longest and deepest rail tunnel in the world. Switzerland has four official languages and about 1,500 lakes.

> Neutral facts only. Nothing here addresses politics, government, economics or which country is preferable in any respect — population is the one figure that dates, and it carries its year.

## Common questions

### Is France bigger than Switzerland?

France is larger — 643,801 km² against 41,277 km².

### Which has more people, France or Switzerland?

France, with 68,720,337 against 9,092,436.

### What is the time difference between France and Switzerland?

France is UTC+01:00 and Switzerland is UTC+01:00. Daylight saving shifts the gap during the year in places that observe it.

## Related pages

- [France](https://atoneplace.net/country/france/)
- [Switzerland](https://atoneplace.net/country/switzerland/)
- [India vs Switzerland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/india-vs-switzerland/)
- [China vs France](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-france/)
- [China vs Switzerland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-switzerland/)
- [Japan vs Switzerland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/japan-vs-switzerland/)
- [Canada vs France](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-france/)
- [Canada vs Switzerland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-switzerland/)
- [Australia vs France](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-france/)
- [Australia vs Switzerland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-switzerland/)
- [New Zealand vs Switzerland](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-switzerland/)
- [France vs United States](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-united-states/)
- [France vs India](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-india/)
- [France vs United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-united-kingdom/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]
- World Bank Open Data — The World Bank (https://data.worldbank.org/) [CC BY 4.0]