Spain vs Switzerland
Spain is 12 times larger than Switzerland — 505,370 against 41,277 km². Spain is 5.4 times more populous than Switzerland — 49,355,143 against 9,092,436 people.
Side by side
| Spain | Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Madrid | Bern |
| Area | 505,370 km² | 41,277 km² |
| Population | 49,355,143 (2025) | 9,092,436 (2025) |
| Density | 97.7 /km² | 220.3 /km² |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Swiss franc (CHF) |
| Official languages | Spanish | German, French, Italian, Romansh |
| Time zones | UTC+00:00, UTC+01:00 | UTC+01:00 |
| Calling code | +34 | +41 |
| Drives on the | right | right |
| Continent | Europe | Europe |
| ISO codes | ES / ESP | CH / CHE |
Population density
Switzerland is 2.3 times more densely populated than Spain — 220 against 98 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.
- Spain spans 2 time zones, so "local time" there is not a single answer.
Spain
After Switzerland, Spain is the most mountainous country in Europe, with an average elevation around 650 m. The Canary Islands sit off Africa, which is why part of Spain is on a different time zone and why Teide, at 3,715 m, is the country's highest point. Spain has more olive trees than any other country, around 340 million.
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 Spain bigger than Switzerland?
- Spain is larger — 505,370 km² against 41,277 km².
- Which has more people, Spain or Switzerland?
- Spain, with 49,355,143 against 9,092,436.
- What is the time difference between Spain and Switzerland?
- Spain is UTC+00:00, UTC+01:00 and Switzerland is UTC+01:00. Daylight saving shifts the gap during the year in places that observe it.
Related pages
- Spain Full country page
- Switzerland Full country page
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Sources
- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (Public domain (US Government))
- World Bank Open Data — The World Bank (CC BY 4.0)