Environment
Switzerland
Climate
The climate is temperate, though it fluctuates with altitude; winters are characterized by cold, cloudy, and rainy or snowy conditions, while summers are cool to warm, humid, and often cloudy, with periodic showers.
Land use
other
32.6% (2023 est.)
forest
32% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
37.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 10% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 27.1% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
74.2% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
0.79% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually
6.08 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled
30.1% (2022 est.)
Environmental issues
Air pollution resulting from vehicular emissions; water pollution due to agricultural fertilizers; soil pollution caused by chemical contaminants; soil erosion; and a decline in biodiversity.
Total water withdrawal
municipal
930 million cubic meters (2022)
industrial
642.7 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
agricultural
160.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
total emissions
33.306 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from consumed natural gas
5.583 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke
195,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids
27.528 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Particulate matter emissions
9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Total renewable water resources
53.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International environmental agreements
party to
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified
none of the selected agreements