Polity · 1294 CE – present
Swiss Confederation
Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft · Confédération suisse · Confederazione Svizzera
Also recorded as Switzerland
- Peak recorded area
- 46,004 km²
- 1540 CE
- Rulers on record
- 97
- from 1848 CE
- Data series
- 382
- 1315 CE–2025 CE
Overview
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located at the intersection of Central, Western, and Southern Europe. It is bordered by Germany to the north, France to the west, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east, and Italy to the south.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
70 dated territorial extents on record from Cliopatria. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. CShapes 2.0 holds 3 further extents, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 63 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population351 obs · 1 CE–2025 CE | 9Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Urban Population201 obs · 1816 CE–2016 CE | 3.3Mpersons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 84.23years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 37.3Kpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 0.48% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 86.06years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 138 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP420 obs · 1600 CE–2019 CE | 59.6Kint'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP per capita173 obs · 1 CE–2022 CE | 63.3K2011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| Total Exports145 obs · 1870 CE–2014 CE | 238.9Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Total Imports145 obs · 1870 CE–2014 CE | 202.9Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Trade Balance145 obs · 1870 CE–2014 CE | 36Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
| Trade Openness145 obs · 1870 CE–2014 CE | 441.8Kmillion USD (current)2014 CE · CoW Bilateral Trade v4.0 |
Military
6 of 38 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| CINC Score201 obs · 1816 CE–2016 CE | 0.0014CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption201 obs · 1816 CE–2016 CE | 18.8Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production201 obs · 1816 CE–2016 CE | 1.5Mtons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel201 obs · 1816 CE–2016 CE | 21Kpersons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure % GDP133 obs · 1957 CE–2024 CE | 0.7178% of GDP2024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| Military Expenditure103 obs · 1914 CE–2016 CE | 4.7Bcurrent USD2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 59 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 10.03% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Gas Production117 obs · 1900 CE–2016 CE | 0TWh2016 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 32.38% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 37.79%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.0446hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 1.5Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 25 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index227 obs · 1798 CE–2024 CE | 0.894index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index227 obs · 1798 CE–2024 CE | 0.847index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index227 obs · 1798 CE–2024 CE | 0.794index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index227 obs · 1798 CE–2024 CE | 0.995index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity2165 obs · 1848 CE–2012 CE | 10index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
| Regime Type125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 3RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
Development
6 of 59 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index227 obs · 1798 CE–2024 CE | 0.974index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Tech Radios168 obs · 1815 CE–1999 CE | 7,300count1999 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Railway Line Km164 obs · 1825 CE–1993 CE | 5,029km1993 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Mail Items144 obs · 1850 CE–1993 CE | 3,860items1993 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Telegraph144 obs · 1830 CE–1986 CE | 2.04count1986 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Telephones104 obs · 1900 CE–2003 CE | 5.3Mcount2003 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
Rulers
97 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Friedrich Frey-HeroséMember of the Swiss Federal Council1848 CE – 1866 CE
- Jonas FurrerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1848 CE – 1861 CE
- Josef MunzingerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1848 CE – 1855 CE
- Stefano FransciniMember of the Swiss Federal Council1848 CE – 1857 CE
- Ulrich OchsenbeinMember of the Swiss Federal Council1848 CE – 1854 CE
- Wilhelm Matthias NaeffMember of the Swiss Federal Council1848 CE – 1875 CE
- Jakob StämpfliMember of the Swiss Federal Council1854 CE – 1863 CE
- Constant FornerodMember of the Swiss Federal Council1855 CE – 1867 CE
- Josef Martin KnüselMember of the Swiss Federal Council1855 CE – 1875 CE
- Jakob DubsMember of the Swiss Federal Council1861 CE – 1872 CE
- Emil WeltiMember of the Swiss Federal Council1867 CE – 1891 CE
- Paul CérésoleMember of the Swiss Federal Council1870 CE – 1875 CE
- Johann Jakob SchererMember of the Swiss Federal Council1872 CE – 1878 CE
- Joachim HeerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1875 CE – 1878 CE
- Louis RuchonnetMember of the Swiss Federal Council1875 CE – 1893 CE
- Bernhard HammerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1876 CE – 1890 CE
- Simeon BavierMember of the Swiss Federal Council1878 CE – 1883 CE
- Wilhelm HertensteinMember of the Swiss Federal Council1879 CE – 1888 CE
- Walter HauserMember of the Swiss Federal Council1888 CE – 1902 CE
- Emil FreyMember of the Swiss Federal Council1891 CE – 1897 CE
- Adrien LachenalMember of the Swiss Federal Council1892 CE – 1899 CE
- Eduard MüllerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1895 CE – 1919 CE
- Marc-Emile RuchetMember of the Swiss Federal Council1899 CE – 1912 CE
- Josef Anton SchobingerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1908 CE – 1911 CE
- Edmund SchulthessMember of the Swiss Federal Council1912 CE – 1935 CE
- Felix CalonderMember of the Swiss Federal Council1913 CE – 1920 CE
- Gustave AdorMember of the Swiss Federal Council1917 CE – 1919 CE
- Ernest ChuardMember of the Swiss Federal Council1919 CE – 1928 CE
- Heinrich HäberlinMember of the Swiss Federal Council1920 CE – 1934 CE
- Karl ScheurerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1920 CE – 1929 CE
- Marcel Pilet-GolazMember of the Swiss Federal Council1928 CE – 1944 CE
- Rudolf MingerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1929 CE – 1940 CE
- Albert MeyerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1930 CE – 1938 CE
- Johannes BaumannMember of the Swiss Federal Council1934 CE – 1940 CE
- Philipp EtterMember of the Swiss Federal Council1934 CE – 1959 CE
- Karl KobeltMember of the Swiss Federal Council1940 CE – 1954 CE
- Walther StampfliMember of the Swiss Federal Council1940 CE – 1947 CE
- Ernst NobsMember of the Swiss Federal Council1944 CE – 1951 CE
- Josef EscherMember of the Swiss Federal Council1950 CE – 1954 CE
- Markus FeldmannMember of the Swiss Federal Council1951 CE – 1958 CE
- Hans StreuliMember of the Swiss Federal Council1954 CE – 1959 CE
- Friedrich Traugott WahlenMember of the Swiss Federal Council1958 CE – 1965 CE
- Hans-Peter TschudiMember of the Swiss Federal Council1959 CE – 1973 CE
- Willy SpühlerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1959 CE – 1970 CE
- Jean BourgknechtMember of the Swiss Federal Council1960 CE – 1962 CE
- Rudolf GnägiMember of the Swiss Federal Council1965 CE – 1979 CE
- Pierre GraberMember of the Swiss Federal Council1969 CE – 1978 CE
- Kurt FurglerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1971 CE – 1986 CE
- Georges-André ChevallazMember of the Swiss Federal Council1973 CE – 1983 CE
- Willi RitschardMember of the Swiss Federal Council1973 CE – 1983 CE
- Hans HürlimannMember of the Swiss Federal Council1974 CE – 1982 CE
- Pierre AubertMember of the Swiss Federal Council1977 CE – 1987 CE
- Leon SchlumpfMember of the Swiss Federal Council1979 CE – 1987 CE
- Alphons EgliMember of the Swiss Federal Council1982 CE – 1986 CE
- Rudolf FriedrichMember of the Swiss Federal Council1982 CE – 1984 CE
- Jean-Pascal DelamurazMember of the Swiss Federal Council1983 CE – 1998 CE
- Elisabeth KoppMember of the Swiss Federal Council1984 CE – 1989 CE
- Flavio CottiMember of the Swiss Federal Council1987 CE – 1999 CE
- René FelberMember of the Swiss Federal Council1987 CE – 1993 CE
- Adolf OgiMember of the Swiss Federal Council1988 CE – 2000 CE
- Kaspar VilligerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1989 CE – 2003 CE
- Ruth DreifussMember of the Swiss Federal Council1993 CE – 2002 CE
- Moritz LeuenbergerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1995 CE – 2010 CE
- Pascal CouchepinMember of the Swiss Federal Council1998 CE – 2009 CE
- Ruth DreifussVice president of the Swiss Confederation1998 CE
- Joseph DeissMember of the Swiss Federal Council1999 CE – 2006 CE
- Ruth MetzlerMember of the Swiss Federal Council1999 CE – 2003 CE
- Moritz LeuenbergerVice president of the Swiss Confederation2000 CE
- Kaspar VilligerVice president of the Swiss Confederation2001 CE
- Samuel SchmidMember of the Swiss Federal Council2001 CE – 2008 CE
- Pascal CouchepinVice president of the Swiss Confederation2002 CE
- Christoph BlocherMember of the Swiss Federal Council2003 CE – 2007 CE
- Hans-Rudolf MerzMember of the Swiss Federal Council2003 CE – 2010 CE
- Micheline Calmy-ReyMember of the Swiss Federal Council2003 CE – 2011 CE
- Doris LeuthardMember of the Swiss Federal Council2006 CE – 2018 CE
- Micheline Calmy-ReyVice president of the Swiss Confederation2006 CE
- Eveline Widmer-SchlumpfMember of the Swiss Federal Council2008 CE – 2015 CE
- Didier BurkhalterMember of the Swiss Federal Council2009 CE – 2017 CE
- Doris LeuthardVice president of the Swiss Confederation2009 CE
- Hans-Rudolf MerzVice president of the Swiss Confederation2009 CE
- Ueli MaurerMember of the Swiss Federal Council2009 CE – 2022 CE
- Johann Schneider-AmmannMember of the Swiss Federal Council2010 CE – 2018 CE
- Simonetta SommarugaMember of the Swiss Federal Council2010 CE – 2022 CE
- Alain BersetMember of the Swiss Federal Council2012 CE – 2023 CE
- Ueli MaurerVice president of the Swiss Confederation2012 CE
- Guy ParmelinMember of the Swiss Federal Council2016 CE –
- Alain BersetVice president of the Swiss Confederation2017 CE
- Ignazio CassisMember of the Swiss Federal Council2017 CE –
- Karin Keller-SutterMember of the Swiss Federal Council2019 CE –
- Viola AmherdMember of the Swiss Federal Council2019 CE – 2025 CE
- Ignazio CassisVice president of the Swiss Confederation2021 CE
- Albert RöstiMember of the Swiss Federal Council2023 CE –
- Elisabeth Baume-SchneiderMember of the Swiss Federal Council2023 CE –
- Viola AmherdVice president of the Swiss Confederation2023 CE
- Beat JansMember of the Swiss Federal Council2024 CE –
- Karin Keller-SutterVice president of the Swiss Confederation2024 CE
- Martin PfisterMember of the Swiss Federal Council2025 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
- Government type
- federal republic (formally a confederation)
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President of the Swiss Confederation Guy PARMELIN (since 1 January 2026); head of government: President of the Swiss Confederation Guy PARMELIN (since 1 January 2026);
- Ethnic groups
- Swiss 69.2%, German 4.2%, Italian 3.2%, Portuguese 2.5%, French 2.1%, Kosovan 1.1%, Turkish 1%, other 16.7% (2020 est.)
- Natural resources
- hydropower potential, timber, salt
- Economy
- 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
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- French, German, Italian, Romansh
- Currency
- Swiss francs (CHF)
Memberships
- EFTAEFTAEconomic bloc · founding member1960 CE –
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member2002 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Seshat Global History Databank. Cliopatria: a historical basemap of polity borders (cliopatria.geojson).
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
Barbieri, K. & Keshk, O. (2016). Correlates of War Project Trade Data Set, v4.0.
Free academic use, citation
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
Our World in Data (2024). Energy dataset. Based on Energy Institute & Ember.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Swiss Confederation is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.