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Switzerland
Switzerland
 
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Capital: Bern
Area size: 39550 sq. km Slightly larger than the Netherlands
Time zone: Standard Time GMT +1, Summer Time GMT +2
Currency: Swiss franc
Area code: (+) 41
Driving: Right
Climate description: Temperate, but varies with altitude. Cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters. Cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers.
 

People
Standard of living
Economy & aid
Health
Disasters, conflict & migration
Language
German, French and Italian. A small minority speaks Rhaeto-Romanic.
Source: New Internationalist World Guide

Population
2007 7.5 million U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Population Division (2006)
2006 7.5 million U.N. DESA (2006)
2005 7.4 million U.N. DESA (2006)
2004 7.4 million U.N. DESA (2006)
2003 7.4 million U.N. DESA (2006)
2002 7.3 million U.N. DESA (2006)
2001 7.3 million U.N. DESA (2006)
2000 7.3 million U.N. DESA (2006)

Future population estimates
9.9 million (2050)
Source: U.N. DESA (2006)

Ethnic groups
Around two-thirds of the population are of German origin, while 18 percent and 13 percent are French and Italian respectively. Other groups include Portuguese, Germans and people from the former Yugoslavia.
Source: NI World Guide

Religion
Catholic 47 percent, Protestant 40 percent. There are Muslim and Orthodox Christian minorities.
Source: NI World Guide

Percentage urban population
2007 75.9 percent U.N. DESA - World Urbanisation Prospects 2005
2006 75.5 percent U.N. DESA (2005)
2005 75.2 percent U.N. DESA (2005)
2004 74.8 percent U.N. DESA (2005)
2003 74.4 percent U.N. DESA (2005)
2002 74.0 percent U.N. DESA (2005)
2001 73.5 percent U.N. DESA (2005)
2000 73.1 percent U.N. DESA (2005)

Year women granted right to vote
1971
Source: U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report
Where two figures are shown, the first refers to a partial recognition of the right to vote and the second to the year women received the right to vote on a universal and equal basis.

Net percentage of girls enrolled in primary education
89 (2006)
Source: UNESCO

Percentage of population under 15
2005 16.7 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004 16.8 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003 17.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002 16.2 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001 16.5 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000 16.7 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2002


Average life expectancy
2005 81.3 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004 80.7 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003 80.5 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002 79.1 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001 79.0 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000 78.9 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Life expectancy - male
2005 78.5 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004 77.8 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003 77.6 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002 75.9 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001 75.8 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000 75.6 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Life expectancy - female
2005 83.7 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004 83.4 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003 83.2 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002 82.3 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001 82.2 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000 82.0 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Infant mortality
2006 4 per 1,000 live births UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
2005 4 per 1,000 live births U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) - State of the World's Children 2007
2004 5 per 1,000 live births UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006
2003 4 per 1,000 live births UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002 5 per 1,000 live births UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001 5 per 1,000 live births UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000 3 per 1,000 live births UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Child mortality - deaths before the age of five
2006 5 per 1,000 live births UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
2005 5 per 1,000 live births UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007
2004 5 per 1,000 live births UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006
2003 5 per 1,000 live births UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002 5 per 1,000 live births UNDP - Human Development Report 2004

Births attended by skilled personnel
No data available percent

Maternal mortality
2005 5 per 100,000 live births UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2000 7 per 100,000 live births UNDP - Human Development Report 2006

Human development index (HDI rank)
2005 7 UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004 9 UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003 7 UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002 11 UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001 10 UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000 11 UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Percentage of children under weight for age (under age 5)
No data available percent

Percentage of undernourished population
2002-2004 average <2.5 percent U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) 2006
2001-2003average <2.5 percent FAO 2006

Food intake falls below the minimum requirement.
Population with access to improved water
2006 100 percent UNICEF and WHO 2008
2004 100 percent UNICEF and World Health Organisation (WHO) 2006
2002 100 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2000 100 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2004

Population with access to improved sanitation
2006 100 percent UNICEF and WHO 2008
2004 100 percent UNICEF and WHO 2006
2002 100 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2000 100 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2004

Literacy - average
2004 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Literacy - male
2004 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Literacy - female
2004 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2002 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2001 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000 99.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2002

Landlines telephones
2007 659 per 1,000 people International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2008
2006 669 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2005 710 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2004 726 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2003 737 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2002 747 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2001 749 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2000 731 per 1,000 people ITU 2008

Cellular telephone subscribers
2007 1097 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2006 990 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2005 942 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2004 867 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2003 857 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2002 796 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2001 734 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2000 647 per 1,000 people ITU 2008

Internet users
2007 603 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2006 581 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2005 524 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2004 483 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2003 457 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2002 416 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2001 389 per 1,000 people ITU 2008
2000 292 per 1,000 people ITU 2008

Transparency International corruption ranking (1=least corrupt, 179=most corrupt)
2008 5 (joint) Transparency International 2008
2007 7 (joint) Transparency International 2007
2006 7 Transparency International
2005 7 Transparency International
2004 7 Transparency International
2003 8 (joint) Transparency International
2002 12 (joint) Transparency International
2001 12 Transparency International
2000 11 (joint) Transparency International

Signatory of International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment for the crime of Genocide
Yes (1948)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

Signatory of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Yes (1984)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

Signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Yes (1989)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

International humanitarian aid flows
Access the Financial Tracking Service, a global real-time database which records all reported humanitarian aid - including that for NGOs, the Red Cross/Crescent Movement, bilateral aid, in-kind aid and private donations - searchable by country.
Source: Financial Tracking Service, ReliefWeb

Percentage of population living on less than US$1 a day
No data available percent

GNI per capita, Atlas method
2006 58050 current US$ World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2005 56190 current US$ World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2004 50010 current US$ World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2003 42030 current US$ World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2002 36280 current US$ World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001 37530 current US$ WorldBankDataProfileTables2008
2000 40110 current US$ World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

The purpose of the Atlas conversion factor is to reduce the impact of exchange rate fluctuations in a cross-country comparison of national incomes. The Atlas conversion factor for any year is the average of a country’s exchange rate (or alternative conversion factor) for that year and its exchange rates for the two preceding years.
GDP
2006 380.4 current US$ billions World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2005 365.9 current US$ billions World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2004 359.7 current US$ billions World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2003 322.8 current US$ billions World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2002 276.2 current US$ billions World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001 250.3 current US$ billions World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2000 246.0 current US$ billions World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

Annual GDP growth
2006 3.2  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2005 1.9  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2004 2.3  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2003 -0.2  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2002 0.3  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001 1.0  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2000 3.6  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

Annual inflation
2006 1.4  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2005 -0.1  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2004 0.6  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2003 1.2  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2002 1.6  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001 0.6  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2000 0.8  percent World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

Share of income or consumption (poorest 10 percent)
2.9 (latest available year)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008

Share of income or consumption (richest 10 percent)
25.9 (latest available year)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008

Physicians
2000-2004 361 per 100,000 people UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
1990-2004 361 per 100,000 people UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
1990-2003 350 per 100,000 people UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
1990-2002 336 per 100,000 people UNDP - Human Development Report 2003

Percentage HIV+ (adults aged 15-49)
2007 0.6 percent U.N. Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 2008
2006 0.6 percent U.N. Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 2008
2005 0.6 percent U.N. Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 2008
2004 0.6 percent U.N. Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 2008
2003 0.6 percent U.N. Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 2008

Malaria
No risk
Source: WHO

TB cases
2006 7 per 100,000 people WHO 2008
2005 7 per 100,000 people WHO 2008
2004 8 per 100,000 people WHO 2008
2003 8 per 100,000 people WHO 2008
2002 8 per 100,000 people WHO 2008
2001 8 per 100,000 people WHO 2008
2000 9 per 100,000 people WHO 2008

Chronology of natural disasters
Access EM-DAT, a database of natural disasters from 1900 to the present - death tolls and numbers of affected people - searchable by country.
Source: Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium

Number of refugees originating here
2007 31 UNHCR
2006 36 Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
2005 16 UNHCR
2004 12 UNHCR
2003 35 UNHCR
2002 56 UNHCR
2001 61 UNHCR
2000 70 UNHCR

Number of refugees residing here
2007 45653 UNHCR
2006 48523 UNHCR
2005 48030 UNHCR
2004 47678 UNHCR
2003 50144 UNHCR
2002 54113 UNHCR
2001 58494 UNHCR
2000 57653 UNHCR

Number of internally displaced people\Estimate
No data available

Landmine casualties per year
2004 0 Landmine Monitor Report 2005
2003 0 Landmine Monitor Report 2004

Casualty figures may include both civilians and military personnel injured or killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Signatory to landmine convention?
Yes (1997 )
Source: Landmine Monitor Report

Percentage of GDP spent on military
2005 1.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2004 1.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2003 1.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2005

Percentage of GDP spent on education
2002-2005 6.0 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2002-2004 5.4 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2000-2002 5.8 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
1999-2001 5.6 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
1998-2000 5.5 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2003

Percentage of GDP spent on health
2004 6.7 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
2003-2004 6.7 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2006
2002 6.5 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2005
2001 6.4 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2004
2000 5.9 percent UNDP - Human Development Report 2003


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