What’s The Difference Between Sweden and Switzerland

Travelers seem to always mix up these two countries, I’m not sure why. They don’t even have flags that look alike :-). The Swedish tourist board is tired of it so they’ve launched a campaign to help the world figure it out. And having been to both countries, I’ve written this post to help as well. You can find Visit Switzerland here too.

Introduction

Sweden and Switzerland are two prosperous European countries with some similarities but also important differences. Both are developed nations with strong economies and healthcare systems. However, they vary culturally and geographically. This post compares key facts about Sweden and Switzerland to highlight their commonalities and distinctions, so you don’t visit the intended one when you travel :-).

 

Places I’ve Visited In Sweden And Switzerland

• Sweden: Hemavan/Tarnaby, Riding the Swedish Inlandsbanan (Inland Line) Train, Saxnas, South Lapland, Stockholm, 
• Switzerland: Basel, Geneva, Zurich

Capital Cities

• Sweden: Stockholm
• Switzerland: Bern

Need A Hotel?

Sweden

 

Switzerland

 

Population

• Sweden: 10.42 million (2021)
• Switzerland: 8.7 million (2021)

Government

• Sweden: Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system
• Switzerland: Democratic Federal Republic

Official Languages

• Sweden: Swedish
• Switzerland: German, French, Italian, Romansh

Currency

• Sweden: Swedish krona (SEK)
• Switzerland: Swiss franc (CHF)

Major Religion

• Sweden: Lutheran
• Switzerland: Roman Catholic, Protestant

Location

Which part of Europe is Sweden in?

• Sweden: Northern Europe

 

• Switzerland: Land locked in Central Europe

 

When Did Sweden and Switzerland Join The UN?

• Sweden: 1946
• Switzerland: 2002

Schengen Area Member

This is a group of countries in Europe where as a visitor, you can stay, without a visa, for up to 90 days in any 180 days period.

• Sweden: 1996
• Switzerland: 2008

GDP per Capita

• Sweden: $61,028 (2021)
• Switzerland: $91,991 (2021)

Well-known Companies

• Sweden: IKEA, H&M, Volvo, Ericsson
• Switzerland: Nestle, Novartis, Roche, ABB

Health Care System

• Sweden: Universal public health care
• Switzerland: Universal public health care

Notable Historical Figures

• Sweden: Carl Linnaeus, Alfred Nobel
• Switzerland: Swiss guards, William Tell, Leonhard Euler

National Airline

• Sweden: SAS (SK)
• Switzerland: Swiss International Air Lines (LX)

Major Airports

• Sweden: Stockholm-Arlanda (ARN); Göteborg Landvetter (GOT);  Malmö (MMX)
  • ARN: Aegean Airlines (A3), Air China (CA), Air France (AF), Air Serbia (JU), AirBaltic (BT), Austrian Airlines (OS), British Airways (BA), Brussels Airlines (SN), Croatia Airlines (OU), Delta Air Lines (DL), EasyJet Airlines (U2), Emirates (EK), Ethiopian Airlines (ET), Eurowings (EW), Finnair (AY), HP, Iberia Airlines (IB), Icelandair (FI), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), LOT Polish (LO), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Luxair (LG), ND, NP, Norwegian Air International (D8), Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY), Nouvelair Tunisie (BJ), Pegasus Airlines (PC), Play (OG), Qatar Airways (QR), Royal Jordanian (RJ), Ryanair (FR), Ryanair UK (RK), SAS (SK), SunExpress (XQ), Swiss Airlines (LX), TAP Portugal (TP), Thai Airways (TG), Transavia France (TO), Turkish Airlines – Star Alliance (TK), United Airlines (Star Alliance) (UA) and Vueling (VY)
  • GOT: Aegean Airlines (A3), Air France (AF), Air Serbia (JU), AirBaltic (BT), Austrian Airlines (OS), Braathens Regional (TF), British Airways (BA), Brussels Airlines (SN), Eurowings (EW), Finnair (AY), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), LOT Polish (LO), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Norwegian Air International (D8), Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY), Pegasus Airlines (PC), Play (OG), Ryanair (FR), Ryanair UK (RK), SAS (SK), Swiss Airlines (LX), Turkish Airlines – Star Alliance (TK), Vueling (VY), Wideroe (WF), Wizz Air (W6) and Wizz Air UK (W4)
  • MMX: Braathens Regional (TF), Ryanair (FR), SAS (SK), Wizz Air (W6) and Wizz Air UK (W4)
• Switzerland: Basel (BSL), Geneva (GVA), Zurich (ZRH)
  • BSL: ASL Airlines France (5O), Aegean Airlines (A3), Air Arabia Maroc (3O), Air Cairo (SM), Air France (AF), Air Transat (TS), Austrian Airlines (OS), British Airways (BA), Chair Airlines (GM), Cyprus Airways (CY), EasyJet Airlines (U2), Eurowings (EW), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Neos Air (NO), Nouvelair Tunisie (BJ), Pegasus Airlines (PC), Ryanair (FR), Ryanair UK (RK), SunExpress (XQ), Turkish Airlines – Star Alliance (TK), Vueling (VY), Wizz Air (W6) and Wizz Air UK (W4)
  • GVA: Aegean Airlines (A3), Aer Lingus (EI), Air Algerie (AH), Air Arabia Maroc (3O), Air Canada (AC), Air China (CA), Air Dolomiti (EN), Air France (AF), Air Malta (KM), Air Mauritius (MK), AirBaltic (BT), Austrian Airlines (OS), Azerbaijan Airlines (J2), British Airways (BA), Brussels Airlines (SN), Delta Air Lines (DL), EasyJet Airlines (U2), El Al Airlines (LY), Emirates (EK), Eqyptair (MS), Ethiopian Airlines (ET), Etihad Airways (EY), Eurowings (EW), Finnair (AY), ITA Airways (AZ), Iberia Airlines (IB), Icelandair (FI), Jet2.com (LS), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), Kuwait Airways (KU), LOT Polish (LO), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Luxair (LG), Middle Eastern Airlines (ME), Norwegian Air International (D8), Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY), Nouvelair Tunisie (BJ), Pegasus Airlines (PC), Play (OG), Qatar Airways (QR), Royal Air Morac (AT), Royal Jordanian (RJ), SAS (SK), Saudia Airlines (SV), SunExpress (XQ), Swiss Airlines (LX), TAP Portugal (TP), Transavia (HV), Tunisair (TU), Turkish Airlines – Star Alliance (TK), United Airlines (Star Alliance) (UA), Vueling (VY), Wizz Air (W6) and Wizz Air UK (W4)
  • ZRH: Aegean Airlines (A3), Aer Lingus (EI), Air Cairo (SM), Air Canada (AC), Air Europa (UX), Air France (AF), Air Malta (KM), Air Serbia (JU), AirBaltic (BT), American Airlines (AA), Austrian Airlines (OS), British Airways (BA), Brussels Airlines (SN), Bulgaria Air (FB), Cathay Pacific Airways (CX), Chair Airlines (GM), Condor (DE), Croatia Airlines (OU), Cyprus Airways (CY), Delta Air Lines (DL), EasyJet Airlines (U2), Eidelweiss Air (WK), El Al Airlines (LY), Emirates (EK), Ethiopian Airlines (ET), Etihad Airways (EY), Eurowings (EW), Finnair (AY), Helvetic (2L), ITA Airways (AZ), Iberia Airlines (IB), Icelandair (FI), InterJet (4O), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), Korean Airlines (KE), LOT Polish (LO), Lufthansa German Airlines (LH), Oman Air (WY), Pegasus Airlines (PC), Qatar Airways (QR), Royal Jordanian (RJ), SAS (SK), Saudia Airlines (SV), Singapore Airlines (SQ), SunExpress (XQ), Swiss Airlines (LX), TAP Portugal (TP), Thai Airways (TG), Turkish Airlines – Star Alliance (TK), United Airlines (Star Alliance) (UA), Vueling (VY)

Largest Cities

• Sweden: Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö
• Switzerland: Zürich, Geneva and Basel

Local Dish

• Sweden: Meatballs, pickled herring
• Switzerland: Fondue, rösti, bratwurst

Popular Sports

• Sweden: football (soccer for the Americans), handball, golf, ice hockey, tennis
• Switzerland: football (soccer for the Americans), ice hockey, Alpine skiing

Summary

The information above provides a side-by-side look at various socioeconomic and cultural aspects of Sweden and Switzerland. Some noteworthy comparisons include their different forms of government, with Sweden being a monarchy and Switzerland a republic.

Sweden’s language is dominated by Swedish, while Switzerland has multiple official languages reflecting its ethnic diversity. Both nations are global leaders economically and are known for iconic companies.

Their populations are of similar size but distributed across vastly different landscapes – Sweden spanning Scandinavia and Switzerland situated in the Alps. While universally providing health coverage, their systems differ organizationally.

Overall, the information above sheds light on both the likenesses and variances between these advanced Northern European societies.

What say you? Have you been to either country?