Switzerland is 1.03× the size of Bhutan

Switzerland covers about 41,400 km² (16,000 mi²) and Bhutan about 40,400 km² (15,600 mi²). Below, both outlines are drawn at one scale and centred on each other.

41,400km²Switzerland
40,400km²Bhutan

100 km

Switzerland
Bhutan

What fits

Bhutan is 98% of the size of Switzerland.
Switzerland is larger by 1,010 km² (392 mi²), which is 2.5% of the area of Bhutan.
Measured in Belgiums: Switzerland is about 1.35, Bhutan about 1.32.

How they differ

Switzerland also has the larger population: 9.1 million against 787,000, 11.6× as many people.
Per square kilometre that is 220 in Switzerland against 19 in Bhutan: Switzerland is 11.3× as densely populated.
Their centres are about 7,260 km apart.
A standard web map misstates the comparison: Switzerland at 47°N is drawn about 2.1× too large and Bhutan at 27°N about 1.3×, so the map shows Switzerland as 1.72× the size of Bhutan instead of 1.03×.
Together Switzerland and Bhutan cover 81,900 km², close to the size of Austria (84,000 km², 2.6% bigger).
The gap between them, 1,010 km², is about the size of Hong Kong (1,040 km²).
At Bhutan's density, Switzerland would have 807,000 people (it has 9.1 million). At Switzerland's density, Bhutan would have 8.9 million (it has 787,000).
Switzerland's centre is 19.4° of latitude, about 2,150 km, farther north than Bhutan's.

Who wins on what

Measure	Winner	By
Larger area	Switzerland	1.03×
More people	Switzerland	11.6×
More crowded	Switzerland	11.3×
Farther north	Switzerland	19.4° of latitude
Stretched more on a web map	Switzerland	2.1× against 1.3×

Both against the same yardsticks

Yardstick	Switzerland	Bhutan
Belgium 30,700 km²	1.35×	1.32×
United Kingdom 244,000 km²	0.17×	0.17×
Germany 358,000 km²	0.12×	0.11×
Japan 374,000 km²	0.11×	0.11×
France 548,000 km²	0.08×	0.07×
India 3,151,000 km²	0.01×	0.01×
Brazil 8,473,000 km²	1 in 204	1 in 210
United States 9,447,000 km²	1 in 228	1 in 234
Russia 16,980,000 km²	1 in 410	1 in 420

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

Side by side

	Switzerland	Bhutan
Area, main territory	41,400 km²16,000 mi²	40,400 km²15,600 mi²
Population	9.1 millionWikidata, 2025	787,000Wikidata, 2023
Density	220 per km²	19 per km²
Official area	41,300 km²Wikidata	38,400 km²Wikidata
Capital	Bern	Thimphu
Latitude range	46°N to 48°N	27°N to 28°N
Continent	Europe	Asia

Population: Wikidata 2025 and Wikidata 2023, covering each whole country. Official figures: Wikidata (CC0).

Wikidata's official figure of 41,300 km² agrees with our measured area of 41,400 km², to within 2%.
Our measured 40,400 km² is 5.3% above Wikidata's official figure of 38,400 km². Official figures can include inland water or count land that an outline draws differently. This difference is flagged for review.

Similar in size to Switzerland

Similar in size to Bhutan

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