Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Switzerland at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
68%
of electricity
Food imported
5%
of merchandise imports · ~US$23,547m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Switzerland.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Switzerland, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingFood
Swiss farms grow only about half the food eaten
In 2024 the Swiss Farmers' Union said domestic agriculture produces only 52% of the food the population needs. Statistically, the country relied on imports alone from 9 July to the end of the year.
SoberingNature
A third of species and half of habitats are threatened
The Federal Office for the Environment says a third of all species and half of all habitat types in Switzerland are threatened. It names soil sealing, intensive use, nitrogen and pesticide inputs among the causes.
Source: Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), Biodiversity · 2026
SoberingEnvironment
Glaciers lost a quarter of their ice in ten years
Swiss glaciers lost about 3% of their volume in 2025, the fourth largest loss since measurements began. Their ice mass shrank by a quarter over the previous ten years.
RemarkableNature
The largest and longest glacier in Europe
The Aletsch glacier is the largest and longest in Europe, covering 78.4 square kilometres in 2010 and running 22 km. It sits within the Swiss Alps Jungfrau Aletsch World Heritage site.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch · 2010
RemarkableEconomy
The world's longest railway tunnel
The Gotthard Base Tunnel, opened in June 2016, runs 57 km beneath the Alps and is the longest railway tunnel in the world.
Source: Railway Technology, Gotthard Base Tunnel, Switzerland · 2016
RemarkableNature
A mountain of Triassic sea fossils
Monte San Giorgio beside Lake Lugano is regarded as the best fossil record of marine life from the Triassic Period, 245 to 230 million years ago.
Source: IUCN World Heritage Outlook, Monte San Giorgio · 2025
Worth knowingFood
Over 10 kg of chocolate per person a year
In 2025 people in Switzerland ate 10.3 kg of chocolate per head, 2.7% less than the year before, according to the industry body Chocosuisse.
The History of Switzerland.
Switzerland keeps a vibrant living folk heritage. Yodelling, sung by around 12,000 members of 780 yodelling clubs, joined UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2025. The alphorn and Ländler music are carried on Switzerland's own national List of Living Traditions, and Schwingen (Alpine wrestling) and Hornussen remain popular traditional national sports.
Where the name comes from
Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera and Svizra in its four languages, all from Schwyz, one of the founding cantons of 1291. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
The land itself: mountainous for the most part, the Alps to the south and the Jura to the north west, with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains and large lakes. Its high point is Dufourspitze on Monte Rosa, 4,634 m. Source: Bundesamt für Landestopografie, the national mapping agency, with the UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names.
Where it starts
Lakes that preserve wood
The cave of Kesslerloch near Thayngen, used by Ice Age hunters around 15,000 to 12,700 BC, has yielded engraved bone and antler that rank among the finest pieces of Ice Age art. From around 5000 BC settlements were built on posts at the edges of lakes and wetlands, and 56 of the 111 UNESCO-listed pile dwelling sites are in Switzerland. Waterlogged ground has preserved finds such as hats made of lime bast.
How it got here
Confederation to federal state
Iron Age Hallstatt and La Tene cultures spread across the plateau, with La Tene itself named after a site on Lake Neuchatel. In 58 BC Julius Caesar defeated the migrating Helvetii at Bibracte and sent them back to their homeland. An alliance of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden in 1291 was later celebrated as the start of the Swiss Confederation, and a federal constitution created the modern state in 1848. The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded in Geneva in 1863. Women gained the federal vote in 1971.
The timeline
c. 15,000 to 12,700 BC
Kesslerloch.
A cave near Thayngen used by Ice Age hunters, whose engraved antler and bone include some of the finest Ice Age art. Source
c. 5000 to 500 BC
The pile dwellings.
Settlements built on posts at the edges of lakes and wetlands. Fifty-six of the 111 UNESCO-listed sites are in Switzerland. Source
c. 800 to 30 BC
Hallstatt and La Tene.
Iron Age cultures spread across the plateau. The later phase, the La Tene period, is named after a site on Lake Neuchatel. Source
58 BC onward
Helvetii and Rome.
Julius Caesar defeats the Helvetii at Bibracte in 58 BC as they try to migrate into Gaul, and sends the survivors back to their homeland. Source
1291
The confederation.
Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden seal a charter of alliance, later celebrated as the start of the Swiss Confederation. Historians now read it mainly as a pact to keep the peace. Source
1848
Federal state.
A federal constitution adopted on 12 September 1848 creates the modern Swiss state, joining a national government with the cantons, which keep their own powers. Source
1863
The Red Cross.
The International Committee of the Red Cross is founded in Geneva. Source
1971
Votes for women, at last.
A federal referendum on 7 February 1971 approves votes for women, with 65.7% in favour. Support was not even. Appenzell Innerrhoden was one of eight cantons that voted no, and women there did not get the cantonal vote until the Federal Supreme Court ruled on 27 November 1990. Source
UNESCO World Heritage, Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps · Swiss National Museum, Zurich · Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen · Historical Dictionary of Switzerland · Canton of Zurich, Ten years of UNESCO World Heritage, the Zurich pile dwellers · Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, Kesslerloch · Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, Battle of Bibracte · International Review of the Red Cross, The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded on February 17, 1863
Nature and Biodiversity in Switzerland.
About 12.5% of Swiss land is protected (World Bank, 2025), anchored by the strictly protected Swiss National Park and a network of regional nature parks. Protection is well enforced but modest in extent for a wealthy Alpine country, and strictly protected wilderness is limited.
Is wild Switzerland protected? 12.5% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Switzerland?
Forest cover32.4%
Terrestrial protected area12.5%
44 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
Found only here. Few strict endemics; the Alpine ibex, restored from near-extinction, is emblematic.
The watchlist
ThreatenedGwynne's Mining Bee (Andrena bicolor) Not assessed on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Switzerland in GBIF occurrence data (insect).
ThreatenedAnguilla anguilla Not assessed on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Switzerland in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedCrested Vertigo (Vertigo pygmaea) 22. Not assessed on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Switzerland in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedVanellus gregarius Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Switzerland in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedGeronticus eremita Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Switzerland in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Baer's Pochard (Aythya baeri)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Switzerland. GBIF holds 1 verified occurrence records.
Anguilla anguilla
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Switzerland. GBIF holds 1 verified occurrence records.
Vanellus gregarius
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Switzerland. GBIF holds 1 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Switzerland filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Grisons, mapped and named in the open record for Switzerland. OpenStreetMap.
Nature reserve in Fribourg, mapped and named in the open record for Switzerland. OpenStreetMap.
Botanical garden in Ticino, mapped and named in the open record for Switzerland. OpenStreetMap.
Botanical garden in Geneva, mapped and named in the open record for Switzerland. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Switzerland.
Known as the water tower of Europe, Switzerland holds Alpine lakes, glaciers and the headwaters of the Rhine and Rhone, and draws roughly four-fifths of its drinking water from springs and groundwater. Safely managed supply reaches about 97% of people (World Bank, 2024) and tap water, including the countless public fountains, is famously drinkable everywhere.
Does Switzerland have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
96.7% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Tap water is safe for a visitor nearly everywhere.
Cleanest water: Alpine lakes and springs such as Lake Brienz and the Engadin.
How much fresh water does Switzerland have, per person?
4,603 m³
Switzerland
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Switzerland withdraws about 1,704 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 6.5% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as no water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 9%, homes and towns 54%, industry 37%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
Which beaches in Switzerland are named on the open map?
Named on the open map: Hundemätteli / Plage des pauvres, Plage ONU, Plage de Corbières, Plage de Founex, Plage de La Dullive, Plage de Pont-la-Ville, Plage de Saint-Aubin, Plage de St-Saphorin. That is 14 named beaches in the public record for Switzerland, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
99.7%
of people have safely managed sanitation
99.7% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). That is close to universal coverage.
Is the tap water safe in Switzerland?
96.7% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 4,603 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 1 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 6.5% of what Switzerland renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is inside the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply has headroom.
When is the best time to visit Switzerland? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Switzerland actually have?
Nature renews about 4,603 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Switzerland 134 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the wetter half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Switzerland.
Swiss farms produce only about 52 per cent of the food the population needs, according to the Swiss Farmers' Union, so roughly half of what is eaten is imported. Alpine dairying is still a living tradition, and between May and October herders on the high pastures turn the summer milk into cheese.
Where does the food in Switzerland come from?
4.6% imported
about US$23,547m a year
On the plate: Potatoes (rosti), bread, seasonal vegetables and chocolate.
1 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$23,547m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
Food is 4.6% of everything Switzerland imports (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 0.6% of the economy and 37.8% of the land is agricultural, of which 10% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Switzerland? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined82.1%
Diabetes5.3%
OECD data put Switzerland's 2023 rate of major lower limb amputation among people with diabetes at 3.1 per 100,000 adults, among the lowest of the 28 countries reporting, and its rate of minor amputations at 18.3 per 100,000. The major amputation rate has stayed at about 3 per 100,000 since 2021, while minor amputations rose from 16.3 per 100,000 in 2021. Source: OECD Health care quality indicators.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 40.6%.
Can Switzerland feed itself?
10.0%
Arable land
37.8%
Agricultural land
115,802
Farmers
979,576
Arable acres
0.6%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Grape harvest September to October; alpine cheese made over the summer alpage.
Feeding itself
Switzerland sustains a high-quality farm sector, especially dairy and cheese, supported by direct payments, but its mountainous terrain limits arable land and it imports around half of the food it consumes. No verified precise import figure was found.
Certification
About 18% of agricultural land is farmed organically (Eurostat, 2024 data), among the highest shares in Europe, supported by strong domestic demand and retailer standards.
Water for crops
Known as the water tower of Europe, Switzerland holds Alpine lakes, glaciers and the headwaters of the Rhine and Rhone, and draws roughly four-fifths of its drinking water from springs and groundwater. Safely managed supply reaches about 97% of people (World Bank, 2024) and tap water, including the countless public fountains, is famously drinkable everywhere.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 37.8% of the country is agricultural land and 10% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
Sugar beetsWheatPotatoesApplesBarleyMaizeGrapes
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Switzerland are sugar beet, potatoes, wheat and apples (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy. In Zurich, the vegetable and flower market at Bürkliplatz by the lake runs on Tuesdays and Fridays from 6am to 11am, selling seasonal and regional vegetables, herbs and flowers. The city has six market squares in all, at Altstetten, Bürkliplatz, Helvetiaplatz, Milchbuck, Oerlikon and Rathausbrücke, with fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, bread, cheese and flowers several times a week. Winterthur holds weekly markets at Steinberggasse and Obertor, and Rapperswil has a Friday market of about 25 stalls of regional produce. None of these is a farm shop we have checked ourselves.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: The Sacred, vegan restaurant and ice cream parlour in Zurich: vegan versions of Zurich dishes, vegan fondue and ice cream; Restaurant Marktküche, vegan fine dining in Zurich: seasonal set menus of four to eight courses; DAR, restaurant and cocktail bar in Zurich: a fully plant based Arab and Iberian sharing menu; Veganitas, vegan pitta bar in Zurich, also at Bern and Lucerne stations: stuffed pittas with plant based fillings; Enzian, vegan bakery in Zurich Oerlikon: breads, sandwiches and pastries. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Switzerland?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
BreadSeasonal vegetablesChocolate
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · OECD Data Explorer, Health care quality and outcomes: primary care, diabetes lower extremity amputation (age and sex standardised, per 100,000 population aged 15+), 2021 to 2023 · IamExpat Switzerland, 8 great vegan restaurants in Zurich (3 November 2025) · Spinach guide, Best vegan restaurants in Zurich (data refreshed 28 October 2026) · Zürich Tourism, Weekly market at Bürkliplatz · ZVV (Zurich Transport Network), Märkte in der Region Zürich · Swissinfo, Switzerland will be dependent on imports until the end of 2024 · Federal Office of Culture, Living Traditions in Switzerland, Alpine pasture season
Climate and Energy in Switzerland.
Switzerland runs one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with about 95% low-carbon generation: hydropower supplies roughly 57%, nuclear about 32%, and solar and other new renewables the rest, leaving fossil fuels at only around 2%. Territorial CO2 emissions are moderate at about 3.8 tonnes per person, though the country's consumption-based footprint is considerably higher because much of what it uses is manufactured abroad. Switzerland has enshrined a legally binding net-zero-by-2050 goal through its Climate and Innovation Act, approved by referendum in 2023. Renewable electricity in the 60 to 90% range and low-to-moderate emissions earn a high band, while nuclear dependence and a large imported carbon footprint keep it short of a 5.
What powers Switzerland?
Renewable 67.8%Fossil 2.3%
The high voltage transmission grid belongs to Swissgrid, the national grid company. The Electricity Supply Act has required since 2008 that the transmission grid be owned by the national grid company, and Swissgrid took ownership of it in 2013, after running it since 2009. It is responsible for the operation, safety and expansion of the 6,700 km extra high voltage network. The regulator is the Federal Electricity Commission, ElCom, which describes itself as the independent state regulatory authority for the electricity sector and oversees electricity prices, security of supply and trading under the Electricity Supply Act.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
3.75 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
7.55 tonnes
The grid
Switzerland runs one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with about 95% low-carbon generation: hydropower supplies roughly 57%, nuclear about 32%, and solar and other new renewables the rest, leaving fossil fuels at only around 2%. Territorial CO2 emissions are moderate at about 3.8 tonnes per person, though the country's consumption-based footprint is considerably higher because much of what it uses is manufactured abroad.
Pollution
Air is very clean at about 8.7 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre (AQLI, 2022) and litter is famously low, with near-zero landfill because non-recycled waste is incinerated for energy. Switzerland relies on charges, deposits and recycling rather than outright plastic bans.
Water stress
Known as the water tower of Europe, Switzerland holds Alpine lakes, glaciers and the headwaters of the Rhine and Rhone, and draws roughly four-fifths of its drinking water from springs and groundwater. Safely managed supply reaches about 97% of people (World Bank, 2024) and tap water, including the countless public fountains, is famously drinkable everywhere.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.32.1%
2Industry Intensive lowland dairy with nitrogen run-off, and heavy road freight transiting Alpine valleys..named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.8.7
4On the record Air is very clean at about 8.7 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre (AQLI, 2022) and litter is famously low, with near-zero landfill because non-recycled waste is incinerated for energy.
What has Switzerland promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2050
Electricity renewable today67.9% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target12.5% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2050, status: in law; in policy document. Measured against it, 67.9% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 32.1% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year3.75 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy3 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy1.87 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy1.72 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy1.51 t CO2e
New York return, economy1.13 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Switzerland emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. On 12 October 2022 the Confederation issued its first green bond, a 1.5 per cent bond maturing on 26 October 2038, raising CHF 766 million against investor bids of CHF 974 million. The money can be spent only on federal spending with a positive environmental effect, such as public transport, biodiversity and green buildings. The same bond was reopened three times in 2024, taking its outstanding volume, including the Treasury's own holdings, to CHF 2.7 billion. A further CHF 319.1 million was raised when it was reopened again on 8 April 2026.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · Swissgrid, History · egov.swiss, Federal Electricity Commission ElCom · IPE, Switzerland raises CHF766m with first green bonds issuance · Swiss Federal Council, New green Confederation bond · Federal Finance Administration, Federal Treasury activity report 2024 · Federal Finance Administration, Issue result April 2026
AI and Data Centres in Switzerland.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Switzerland.
Data centres
78
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
67.8 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Switzerland?
A machine here runs mostly on renewables, but not entirely.
Renewable 67.8%Fossil 32.2%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 67.9% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Switzerland has 78 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Zurich (8), Winterthur (5), Meyrin (3), alongside 15 internet exchanges (Equinix Zurich, CIXP, SwissIX, GE-CIX). Named sites include Digital Realty Zurich ZUR1, Equinix ZH2 - Zurich, LAN Services AG - Communication Center cc.ch, IWB Datacenter Basel.
Economy and Tourism in Switzerland.
43% residents to 57% visitors across a year. 11,818,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 9,092,436 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Switzerland
11,818k
Visitors a year
1.3
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Switzerland?· for every $100 Switzerland earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2004 peak
$ 57The worst year on the IMF record. Switzerland owed $57 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2004signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 38What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 34The IMF's own forecast has this falling to $34 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Switzerland earns in a year, it owes $38 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Switzerland?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 11,818,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 9,092,436 residents, 1.3 visitors for every resident (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Switzerland is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is only 4.6% of everything Switzerland imports (2024, World Bank), so most of a meal is bought from producers inside the country. Eating what the land here actually grows, sugar beets, wheat, potatoes, apples, barley, maize, grapes, keeps that money with the grower.
mostly home-grown4
The power
67.9% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power stay inside Switzerland. This is not an economy where a visitor's money drains away, and the board is shorter for it.
most of it6
Pay the bank first
Switzerland owes $38 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$38 per $1007
No plan B
30.2% of everything Switzerland sells abroad is pearls, gemstones and precious metals (2023, UN Comtrade). One market moving takes the whole board with it.
30.2% one export8
Community chest
Tourism earns 2.1% of everything Switzerland makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
2.1% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Sydney a return economy seat is 3.00 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
3.00 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$1,147 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$1,147bnGDPUS$1,043.5bn
Agriculture, share of GDP0.6%
Visitors a year11,818,000
Visitors per resident1.3
Residents~9,092,436
Agriculture
Farming is 0.6% of the economy. Switzerland sustains a high-quality farm sector, especially dairy and cheese, supported by direct payments, but its mountainous terrain limits arable land and it imports around half of the food it consumes.
Natural materials
Switzerland keeps heritage textile traditions, notably the world-renowned St Gallen embroidery still used in haute couture, along with wool loden and a historic silk industry around Zurich. These survive largely as specialist industry rather than everyday craft.
Energy
Switzerland runs one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with about 95% low-carbon generation: hydropower supplies roughly 57%, nuclear about 32%, and solar and other new renewables the rest, leaving fossil fuels at only around 2%. Territorial CO2 emissions are moderate at about 3.8 tonnes per person, though the country's consumption-based footprint is considerably higher because much of what it uses is manufactured abroad.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Switzerland?
By rooms · company records and press.
Walliserhof Grand-Hotel & Spa · ~74 roomsIndependentnot published
Igloo Village Gstaad · ~11 roomsCorporatenot published
Walliserhof Grand-Hotel & Spa · ~74 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20149,158k
20159,305k
201610,402k
201711,133k
201811,715k
201911,818k
International tourism receipts run at about US$9.99 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 2.1% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Switzerland, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking what the land here grows, sugar beets, wheat, potatoes, apples, barley, maize and grapes, over an imported menu. The checked list
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use A world-class integrated network of trains, PostBuses, boats and cable cars, easiest with a Swiss Travel Pass.
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
Switzerland leads on water, organic farming and recycling but imports about half its food and protects relatively little land.
Best time: Summer for hiking and lakes; winter for snow sports.
Getting around
A world-class integrated network of trains, PostBuses, boats and cable cars, easiest with a Swiss Travel Pass.
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is sugar beets, wheat, potatoes, apples, barley, maize and grapes. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cards everywhere; CHF. Punctuality is sacred; German, French and Italian are all spoken.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the places to stay
Walliserhof Grand-Hotel & SpaIndependent · 74 rooms
Igloo Village GstaadCorporate · 11 rooms
Walliserhof Grand-Hotel & SpaIndependent · 74 rooms
None of the 3 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Switzerland.
How well is Switzerland actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Switzerland scores 87 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is a state that generally does what it says it will do, which is what makes a climate pledge worth reading.
What is daily life in Switzerland really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around A world-class integrated network of trains, PostBuses, boats and cable cars, easiest with a Swiss Travel Pass.
Made in Switzerland.
Switzerland keeps heritage textile traditions, notably the world-renowned St Gallen embroidery still used in haute couture, along with wool loden and a historic silk industry around Zurich. These survive largely as specialist industry rather than everyday craft. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Switzerland actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Switzerland sells the world is pearls, gemstones and precious metals, 30.2% of all exports in 2023 (about US$126.98 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are pharmaceuticals at 23.6%, organic chemicals at 9.6%, clocks and watches at 7.1%, machinery and mechanical appliances at 6.2%.
Sells now · 30.2% of exports
Pearls, gemstones and precious metals
Pearls, gemstones and precious metals is 30.2% of everything Switzerland sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$126.98 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 23.6% of exports
Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceuticals is 23.6% of everything Switzerland sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$99.01 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 9.6% of exports
Organic chemicals
Organic chemicals is 9.6% of everything Switzerland sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$40.30 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 7.1% of exports
Clocks and watches
Clocks and watches is 7.1% of everything Switzerland sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$29.76 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 6.2% of exports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
Machinery and mechanical appliances is 6.2% of everything Switzerland sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$25.84 billion. UN Comtrade.
Could make · grown here already
Cheese (raclette
Grown in Switzerland and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Fondue
Grown in Switzerland and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Potatoes (rosti)
Grown in Switzerland and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Switzerland produces about US$1,044 billion a year, which is roughly US$114,769 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 0.6% of that, while food is 4.6% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in. With 10% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
See the verified makersCulture in Switzerland.
Yodelling
Yodelling is practised by men and women of all ages, many of them in the 780 clubs of the Federal Yodelling Association, founded in 1910. UNESCO added it to its list of intangible heritage in 2025.
Alphorn
Regarded as Switzerland's national instrument, the alphorn began as a herders' horn. It is played solo, in ensembles and at yodelling festivals.
c. 1900
Ländler music
Ländler music took shape as an instrumental form around 1900, driven by players from Central Switzerland, with the Schwyzerörgeli accordion at its heart.
Schwingen (Alpine wrestling)
A form of wrestling native to Switzerland in which opponents try to throw each other onto their backs. It grew from a farmers' pastime into a popular national sport.
HornussenOne of the three traditional Swiss national sports. A batsman strikes a puck, the Nouss, with an elastic stick, and the other team tries to stop it with boards before it lands. It is played mainly in Bern, Solothurn and Aargau.
May to OctoberAlpine pasture seasonFrom May to October, cattle, sheep and goats graze alpine pastures between 600 m and 2,900 m, and the herders turn the milk into cheese. UNESCO inscribed the season as intangible heritage in 2023.
Does Switzerland protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Switzerland keeps an unusually vibrant living folk heritage for a wealthy, modern nation. Yodelling, sung by around 12,000 members of hundreds of yodelling clubs, joined UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2025, while the alphorn and Ländler music are carried on Switzerland's own national List of Living Traditions, while Schwingen (Alpine wrestling) and Hornussen remain widely practised. The Alpine pasture season, in which farmers still drive cattle to high summer pastures and back in the Alpabzug, is living pastoral practice recognised by UNESCO, and Basel's Fasnacht carnival and the Lötschental's Tschäggättä masked processions carry older seasonal traditions.
Who it belongs to. Living Alpine culture endures across four language regions, with working transhumance (alpage) dairy traditions, mountain festivals and strong local identity, and much mountain tourism supports rural communities through farms and huts. The top resorts such as Zermatt and St Moritz are high-end, so benefits are uneven.
Only here. The Swiss National Park, founded in 1914, the oldest national park in the Alps and a strict wilderness reserve where nature is left entirely alone..
UNESCO · Federal Office of Culture, Living Traditions in Switzerland, Natural yodeling and yodel songs · Federal Office of Culture, Living Traditions in Switzerland, Playing the alphorn and the Büchel · Federal Office of Culture, Living Traditions in Switzerland, Folk music and Jutz in Central Switzerland · Federal Office of Culture, Living Traditions in Switzerland, Schwingen · Federal Office of Culture, Living Traditions in Switzerland, Hornussen · Federal Office of Culture, Living Traditions in Switzerland, Alpine pasture season
The Future of Switzerland.
Three futures for Switzerland, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named craft workshops on the open map: Abraxas Basel GmbH, Art'traction, Atelier MGK, Atelier Verrerie D'Art, Atelier de dessin de la Calabrr, Au Coeur du Patchwork.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 29.7% to 32% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 56.7% to 67.9% across 26 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 6.33 t to 3.75 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 6,946k to 11,818k across 24 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 24.8% to 12.5% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 4.74% to 2.24% across 30 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 40% to 37.7% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 71.5% to 85.7% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 23.1 µg/m³ to 8.32 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 5,738 m³ to 4,603 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 40.4% to 40.6% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 100% to 100% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 50,869 to 114,769 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 7,041k to 9,092k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 17.6% to 27.7% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 3,406 kg to 2,483 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 24.8% to 12.5% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 78.4 yrs to 84.4 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 6,069 kg/ha to 4,584 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 320 kg/ha to 152 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 28.5% to 14.3% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 185 $/m3 to 481 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 9.13% to 11.7% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 11,748 km2 to 12,670 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 7,283 kWh to 7,111 kWh across 30 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 7.36 to 5.72 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 16.76 to 9.41 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 2.52 to 3.12 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 41.94 to 31.81 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 3.31 to 3.64 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 6.71 to 3.71 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 14.93 to 14.86 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, wildlife at 2/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift wildlife
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Switzerland's record. The Alps hold iconic wildlife such as the ibex, chamois, marmot and golden eagle, and Switzerland has run successful reintroductions of the bearded vulture and Eurasian lynx, with wolves and the occasional bear now returning.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift plant-based eating
It scores 3 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Switzerland's record. Fresh produce is abundant and Switzerland has one of Europe's faster-growing vegan markets and product scenes.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift conservation
It scores 3 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Switzerland's record. About 12.5% of Swiss land is protected (World Bank, 2025), anchored by the strictly protected Swiss National Park and a network of regional nature parks.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Switzerland.
Who is in charge of Switzerland now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Guy Parmelin
President of the Swiss Confederation
Guy Parmelin is the head of government of Switzerland, in office since 1 January 2026. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 85.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 86.0 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 88.1 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 89.2 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 85.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 83.3 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 87.3 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 87.1 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 84.5 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 83.8 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Guy ParmelinPresident of the Swiss Confederation
Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung, Assemblée fédérale, Assemblea fLegislature, bicameral
Last election22 October 2023
Constitution1999, as revised to 2014
Government typefederal republic (formally a confederation)
Switzerland national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
Plain Answers About Switzerland.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Switzerland sustainable?
Switzerland scores 78 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Switzerland leads on water, organic farming and recycling but imports about half its food and protects relatively little land.
Is the water in Switzerland safe and plentiful?
Known as the water tower of Europe, Switzerland holds Alpine lakes, glaciers and the headwaters of the Rhine and Rhone, and draws roughly four-fifths of its drinking water from springs and groundwater. Safely managed supply reaches about 97% of people (World Bank, 2024) and tap water, including the countless public fountains, is famously drinkable everywhere.
Can Switzerland feed itself?
Switzerland sustains a high-quality farm sector, especially dairy and cheese, supported by direct payments, but its mountainous terrain limits arable land and it imports around half of the food it consumes. No verified precise import figure was found. Local food culture and short supply chains are nonetheless strong.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Switzerland?
Fresh produce is abundant and Switzerland has one of Europe's faster-growing vegan markets and product scenes. However traditional cuisine is centred on cheese, dairy and meat such as raclette and rosti, and local plant variety is limited by the Alpine climate and short growing season.
How much of Switzerland is actually protected?
About 12.5% of Swiss land is protected (World Bank, 2025), anchored by the strictly protected Swiss National Park and a network of regional nature parks. Protection is well enforced but modest in extent for a wealthy Alpine country, and strictly protected wilderness is limited.
What wildlife is left in Switzerland?
The Alps hold iconic wildlife such as the ibex, chamois, marmot and golden eagle, and Switzerland has run successful reintroductions of the bearded vulture and Eurasian lynx, with wolves and the occasional bear now returning. Strict endemism is low because most species range across the wider Alps.
Is Switzerland on clean energy?
Switzerland runs one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world, with about 95% low-carbon generation: hydropower supplies roughly 57%, nuclear about 32%, and solar and other new renewables the rest, leaving fossil fuels at only around 2%. Territorial CO2 emissions are moderate at about 3.8 tonnes per person, though the country's consumption-based footprint is considerably higher because much of what it uses is manufactured abroad. Switzerland has enshrined a legally binding net-zero-by-2050 goal through its Climate and Innovation Act, approved by referendum in 2023.
How polluted is Switzerland?
Air is very clean at about 8.7 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre (AQLI, 2022) and litter is famously low, with near-zero landfill because non-recycled waste is incinerated for energy. Switzerland relies on charges, deposits and recycling rather than outright plastic bans.
Does recycling work in Switzerland?
Switzerland recycles or composts roughly half of its municipal waste, one of the highest rates in the world, with the remainder incinerated for energy and almost nothing sent to landfill. Deposit and separate-collection systems for glass, PET, paper and aluminium are dense and well used.
Is the farming in Switzerland organic?
About 18% of agricultural land is farmed organically (Eurostat, 2024 data), among the highest shares in Europe, supported by strong domestic demand and retailer standards.
Are there natural materials and craft in Switzerland?
Switzerland keeps heritage textile traditions, notably the world-renowned St Gallen embroidery still used in haute couture, along with wool loden and a historic silk industry around Zurich. These survive largely as specialist industry rather than everyday craft.
Is there living culture in Switzerland?
Living Alpine culture endures across four language regions, with working transhumance (alpage) dairy traditions, mountain festivals and strong local identity, and much mountain tourism supports rural communities through farms and huts. The top resorts such as Zermatt and St Moritz are high-end, so benefits are uneven.
What heritage does Switzerland keep alive?
Switzerland keeps an unusually vibrant living folk heritage for a wealthy, modern nation. Yodelling, sung by around 12,000 members of hundreds of yodelling clubs, joined UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2025, while the alphorn and Ländler music are carried on Switzerland's own national List of Living Traditions, while Schwingen (Alpine wrestling) and Hornussen remain widely practised. The Alpine pasture season, in which farmers still drive cattle to high summer pastures and back in the Alpabzug, is living pastoral practice recognised by UNESCO, and Basel's Fasnacht carnival and the Lötschental's Tschäggättä masked processions carry older seasonal traditions.
So is Switzerland actually green? The measured answer
What is working: renewable electricity at 67.9%.
What is not: land protected at 12.5% against a 30% mark.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · Climate Watch (WRI) · Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026 · CIA World Factbook, Switzerland (Geography, 2025 edition data) · World Bank, Population total: Switzerland · World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area): Switzerland
How Switzerland Ranks, region and world.
Where Switzerland sits on the Eco Index, against its Europe neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Switzerland compare in Europe?
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Portugal75
Scored Europe destinations, Eco Index.
Switzerland sits 1 of 77 at 78/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Switzerland particularly good at?
✓ Water, scored 5/5. Known as the water tower of Europe, Switzerland holds Alpine lakes, glaciers and the headwaters of the Rhine and Rhone, and draws roughly four-fifths of its drinking water from springs and groundwater. Safely managed supply reaches about 97% of people (World Bank, 2024) and tap water, including the countless public fountains, is famously drinkable everywhere.
✓ Food and farming, scored 5/5. Switzerland sustains a high-quality farm sector, especially dairy and cheese, supported by direct payments, but its mountainous terrain limits arable land and it imports around half of the food it consumes. No verified precise import figure was found. Local food culture and short supply chains are nonetheless strong.
✓ Organic farming, scored 5/5. About 18% of agricultural land is farmed organically (Eurostat, 2024 data), among the highest shares in Europe, supported by strong domestic demand and retailer standards.
Where does Switzerland score worst?
✕ Wildlife, scored 2/5. The Alps hold iconic wildlife such as the ibex, chamois, marmot and golden eagle, and Switzerland has run successful reintroductions of the bearded vulture and Eurasian lynx, with wolves and the occasional bear now returning. Strict endemism is low because most species range across the wider Alps.
✕ Plant-based eating, scored 3/5. Fresh produce is abundant and Switzerland has one of Europe's faster-growing vegan markets and product scenes. However traditional cuisine is centred on cheese, dairy and meat such as raclette and rosti, and local plant variety is limited by the Alpine climate and short growing season.
✕ Conservation, scored 3/5. About 12.5% of Swiss land is protected (World Bank, 2025), anchored by the strictly protected Swiss National Park and a network of regional nature parks. Protection is well enforced but modest in extent for a wealthy Alpine country, and strictly protected wilderness is limited.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Wildlife, 2/5
The Alps hold iconic wildlife such as the ibex, chamois, marmot and golden eagle, and Switzerland has run successful reintroductions of the bearded vulture and Eurasian lynx, with wolves and the occasional bear now returning. Strict endemism is low because most species range across the wider Alps.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Switzerland's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Plant-based eating, 3/5
Fresh produce is abundant and Switzerland has one of Europe's faster-growing vegan markets and product scenes. However traditional cuisine is centred on cheese, dairy and meat such as raclette and rosti, and local plant variety is limited by the Alpine climate and short growing season.
Conservation, 3/5
About 12.5% of Swiss land is protected (World Bank, 2025), anchored by the strictly protected Swiss National Park and a network of regional nature parks. Protection is well enforced but modest in extent for a wealthy Alpine country, and strictly protected wilderness is limited.
The Switzerland Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Switzerland, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Switzerland
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
32.0
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
12.5
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
67.9
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
3.7
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
44 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
88.1 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
92.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
87.3 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
85.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
85.9 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
64.1 / 100 · 15 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 15 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
47.0 / 100 · 65 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 65 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
36.4 / 100 · 116 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 116 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
85.4 / 100 · 11 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 11 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
34.0 / 100 · 129 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 129 of 177 countries assessed.
How Switzerland Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 88 sources across 29 institutions
World Bank16 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of land) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- People using safely managed drinking water (% of population) SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2024 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2019 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Safely managed sanitation (% of population) SH.STA.SMSS.ZS, 2024 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Central government debt (% of GDP) GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS, 2024 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
GBIF occurrence search12 FIGURES
- Critically Endangered birds recorded in Switzerland, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Switzerland in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- Critically Endangered birds recorded in Switzerland corroboration check
- Critically Endangered birds recorded in Switzerland corroboration check
- Critically Endangered birds recorded in Switzerland corroboration check
- Critically Endangered species recorded in Switzerland, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Switzerland in GBIF occurrence data (species). check
- Critically Endangered species recorded in Switzerland corroboration check
- Critically Endangered species recorded in Switzerland corroboration check
- Endangered species recorded in Switzerland, Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Switzerland in GBIF occurrence data (species). check
- Endangered species recorded in Switzerland corroboration check
- Endangered birds recorded in Switzerland, Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Switzerland in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- Endangered birds recorded in Switzerland corroboration check
- Endangered birds recorded in Switzerland corroboration check
Swiss Federal Office of Culture (BAK)10 FIGURES
- 'Das Jodeln in das immaterielle Kulturerbe der UNESCO aufgenommen', 9 December 2025, Yodelling, sung by more than 12,000 members of hundreds of yodelling clubs, joined UNESCO's Intangible Cultura check
- 'Das Jodeln in das immaterielle Kulturerbe der UNESCO aufgenommen', 9 December 2025 corroboration check
- 'Das Jodeln in das immaterielle Kulturerbe der UNESCO aufgenommen', 9 December 2025 corroboration check
- 'Das Jodeln in das immaterielle Kulturerbe der UNESCO aufgenommen', 9 December 2025 corroboration check
- 'Das Jodeln in das immaterielle Kulturerbe der UNESCO aufgenommen', 9 December 2025 corroboration check
- 'Das Jodeln in das immaterielle Kulturerbe der UNESCO aufgenommen', 9 December 2025 corroboration check
- 'Die Alpsaison wird immaterielles Kulturerbe der UNESCO', 5 December 2023, The Alpine pasture season, in which farmers still drive cattle to high summer pastures and back in the Alpabzu check
- 'Die Alpsaison wird immaterielles Kulturerbe der UNESCO', 5 December 2023 corroboration check
- 'Die Alpsaison wird immaterielles Kulturerbe der UNESCO', 5 December 2023 corroboration check
- 'Die Alpsaison wird immaterielles Kulturerbe der UNESCO', 5 December 2023 corroboration check
Eurostat6 FIGURES
- SDG indicator sdg_02_40 'Area under organic farming', 2020, About 17% of agricultural land is farmed organically (FiBL, 2020 data), among the highest shares in Europe, su check
- SDG indicator sdg_02_40 'Area under organic farming', 2020 corroboration check
- SDG indicator sdg_02_40 'Area under organic farming', 2020 corroboration check
- recycling rate of municipal waste (cei_wm011) check
- municipal waste by treatment operation (env_wasmun) check
- area under organic farming (sdg_02_40), 2024 check
Other published sources5 FIGURES
- The Federal Office of Culture's own List of Living Traditions says 'rund 12'000 Mitglieder' (around 12,000) across the 780 club groups of the Eidgenoessischer Jodlerverband, so 'more than' is not supported check
- Not Evaluated. This note is attached to two common European insects, Gwynne's Mining Bee (Andrena bicolor) and the hoverfly Merodon clavipes. Neither has any global IUCN assessment in Red List version 2026-1 (Andrena bicolor returns NOT_EVALUATED; Merodon clavipes returns NOT_EVALUATED at https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/1544369/iucnRedListCategory). Least Concern species such as Erithacus rubecula and Vertigo lilljeborgi are present in the same checklist, so absence means unassessed, not merely unlisted check
- Not Evaluated. Apply to the Crested Vertigo (Vertigo pygmaea) row of nature_watchlist ONLY. The claim text after the numbering is a trailing substring of claim 10's text, which belongs to Anguilla anguilla and is correct, so a bare find-and-replace would corrupt the eel row into 'Critically Not assessed'. Vertigo pygmaea has no global IUCN assessment in Red List version 2026-1; the only IUCN checklist match is the subspecies synonym 'Vertigo pygmaea ssp. concinna' under a different taxon check
- International and Swiss Coordination Group UNESCO Palafittes (c/o Archaeologie Schweiz, Basel), From about 5000 BC settlements were built on posts at the edges of lakes and wetlands, and 56 of the 111 UNESC check
- International and Swiss Coordination Group UNESCO Palafittes (c/o Archaeologie Schweiz, Basel) corroboration check
Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN/BAFU)4 FIGURES
- 'Waste: the situation in Switzerland', Switzerland recycles or composts roughly half of its municipal waste, one of the highest rates in the world, w check
- 'Waste: the situation in Switzerland' corroboration check
- 'Waste: the situation in Switzerland' corroboration check
- 'Waste: the situation in Switzerland' corroboration check
Switzerland Tourism4 FIGURES
FAO3 FIGURES
- FAOSTAT Production: Crops and livestock products, Europe bulk file, 2024 data, By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Switzerland are sugar beet, potatoes, wheat and apples (FAO, FAOSTAT cr check
- FAOSTAT Production: Crops and livestock products, Europe bulk file, 2024 data corroboration check
- FAOSTAT Production: Crops and livestock products, Europe bulk file, 2024 data corroboration check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Switzerland, 2025 (32.1%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area under a long-term management plan (%) AG_LND_FRSTMGT, Switzerland, 2025 (95.5%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Switzerland, 2025 (7.7%), country-reported check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS)3 FIGURES
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC2 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Switzerland, 2025 (37.7%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Switzerland, 2025 (60.0%), country-reported check
Swiss National Park (Schweizerischer Nationalpark)2 FIGURES
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme2 FIGURES
18.33% for 2024 (the series gives 16.98% for 20201 FIGURE
- which is where the 17% came from); Switzerland is 4th in Europe behind Estonia, Portugal and Italy, so 'among the highest shares in Europe' still holds check
Climate Watch (WRI)1 FIGURE
- Net-Zero Tracker check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Switzerland 1999 (rev. 2014) check
FiBL and IFOAM1 FIGURE
- The World of Organic Agriculture (organic share of agricultural land, 2020 data) check
IEA1 FIGURE
- Switzerland 2023 Energy Policy Review, executive summary check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Switzerland, 2023 (28.6%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Switzerland elections and chambers check
Low Carbon Power1 FIGURE
- Switzerland electricity generation mix (hydro, nuclear, renewables) check
Not Evaluated. The row is Viola tricolor1 FIGURE
- the wild pansy, a widespread common plant with no global IUCN assessment in Red List version 2026-1. The only near match in the IUCN checklist is the synonym 'Viola tricolor subsp. rothomagensis', which belongs to a different, genuinely threatened species, which is the likely source of the false status check
Schweizerische Vogelwarte Sempach1 FIGURE
- Liste der Vogelarten der Schweiz (official Swiss bird list, version February 2026), Aythya baeri range check
SWI swissinfo.ch1 FIGURE
- Ten Swiss traditions on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list check
Swiss National Park1 FIGURE
- national protected-area and wildlife authority for Switzerland check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
University of Chicago EPIC1 FIGURE
- Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), PM2.5 annual mean, 2022 check