Denmark is 1.03× the size of Switzerland

Denmark covers about 42,700 km² (16,500 mi²) and Switzerland about 41,400 km² (16,000 mi²). Below, both outlines are drawn at one scale and centred on each other.

42,700km²Denmark
41,400km²Switzerland

100 km

Denmark
Switzerland

What fits

Switzerland is 97% of the size of Denmark.
Denmark is larger by 1,260 km² (487 mi²), which is 3.0% of the area of Switzerland.
Measured in Belgiums: Denmark is about 1.39, Switzerland about 1.35.

How they differ

Denmark is larger, but Switzerland has the larger population: 9.1 million against 5.8 million, 1.56× as many people.
Per square kilometre that is 220 in Switzerland against 136 in Denmark: Switzerland is 1.61× as densely populated.
Their centres are about 1,030 km apart.
A standard web map misstates the comparison: Denmark at 56°N is drawn about 3.2× too large and Switzerland at 47°N about 2.1×, so the map shows Denmark as 1.54× the size of Switzerland instead of 1.03×.
Together Denmark and Switzerland cover 84,100 km², close to the size of Austria (84,000 km², 0.2% smaller).
The gap between them, 1,260 km², is about the size of São Tomé and Príncipe (1,040 km²).
At Switzerland's density, Denmark would have 9.4 million people (it has 5.8 million). At Denmark's density, Switzerland would have 5.7 million (it has 9.1 million).
Denmark's centre is 9.2° of latitude, about 1,020 km, farther north than Switzerland's.

Who wins on what

Measure	Winner	By
Larger area	Denmark	1.03×
More people	Switzerland	1.56×
More crowded	Switzerland	1.61×
Farther north	Denmark	9.2° of latitude
Stretched more on a web map	Denmark	3.2× against 2.1×

Both against the same yardsticks

Yardstick	Denmark	Switzerland
Belgium 30,700 km²	1.39×	1.35×
United Kingdom 244,000 km²	0.18×	0.17×
Germany 358,000 km²	0.12×	0.12×
Japan 374,000 km²	0.11×	0.11×
France 548,000 km²	0.08×	0.08×
India 3,151,000 km²	0.01×	0.01×
Brazil 8,473,000 km²	0.01×	1 in 204
United States 9,447,000 km²	1 in 221	1 in 228
Russia 16,980,000 km²	1 in 398	1 in 410

Each figure is the place's area divided by the yardstick's.

Side by side

	Denmark	Switzerland
Area, main territory	42,700 km²16,500 mi²	41,400 km²16,000 mi²
Population	5.8 millionWikidata, 2020	9.1 millionWikidata, 2025
Density	136 per km²	220 per km²
Official area	42,900 km²Wikidata	41,300 km²Wikidata
Capital	Copenhagen	Bern
Latitude range	55°N to 58°N	46°N to 48°N
Continent	Europe	Europe

Population: Wikidata 2020 and Wikidata 2025, covering each whole country. Official figures: Wikidata (CC0).

Wikidata's official figure of 42,900 km² agrees with our measured area of 42,700 km², to within 2%.
Wikidata's official figure of 41,300 km² agrees with our measured area of 41,400 km², to within 2%.

Similar in size to Denmark

Similar in size to Switzerland

More comparisons

Sources and method

Outlines: Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 0 - Countries, public domain
Boundary: De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth. Main territory: the largest landmass and every part within 1,000 km of it.
Area: Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outlines, shown rounded. Comparisons use main-territory area.
Drawing: Each outline is projected with an equal-area projection centred on its own centroid, so areas stay true and the two can be laid over each other.
Data built: 2026-11-11

Full method