At One Place

Germany vs Switzerland

Germany vs Switzerland
Germany is larger; Germany has more people
357,022 km² vs 41,277 km² · 83,491,249 vs 9,092,436

Germany is 8.6 times larger than Switzerland — 357,022 against 41,277 km². Germany is 9.2 times more populous than Switzerland — 83,491,249 against 9,092,436 people.

Side by side

Germany Switzerland
Capital Berlin Bern
Area 357,022 km² 41,277 km²
Population 83,491,249 (2025) 9,092,436 (2025)
Density 233.9 /km² 220.3 /km²
Currency Euro (EUR) Swiss franc (CHF)
Official languages German German, French, Italian, Romansh
Time zones UTC+01:00 UTC+01:00
Calling code +49 +41
Drives on the right right
Continent Europe Europe
ISO codes DE / DEU CH / CHE

Population density

Germany is slightly more densely populated, by 6.2% — 234 against 220 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.

Germany

Germany borders nine countries, more than any other in Europe. The Rhine carries more freight than any other river in Europe. The country has around 25,000 castles and palaces, and the Black Forest and Bavarian Alps mean about a third of it is wooded.

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 Germany bigger than Switzerland?
Germany is larger — 357,022 km² against 41,277 km².
Which has more people, Germany or Switzerland?
Germany, with 83,491,249 against 9,092,436.
What is the time difference between Germany and Switzerland?
Germany 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

Sources

  1. The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (Public domain (US Government))
  2. World Bank Open Data — The World Bank (CC BY 4.0)

How these figures are compiled and checked