# Austria and Switzerland compared

Austria and Switzerland side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 2 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/aut-vs-che
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Austria: 996 — The name Ostarrîchi first appears
- Switzerland: 1291 — The Federal Charter binds Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden

## Economy

| Metric | Austria | Observed | Switzerland | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $535 B | 2024 | $937 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $58,269 | 2024 | $103,998 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | -0.7% | 2024 | 1.3% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.9% | 2024 | 1.1% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 108.8% | 2024 | 134.1% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Austria | Observed | Switzerland | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 9.2 m | 2024 | 9.0 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 82.0 yrs | 2024 | 84.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 69.5% | 2024 | 85.5% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 1.3 | 2024 | 1.3 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Austria | Observed | Switzerland | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 81.4 | 2024 | 85.6 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 74.3 | 2024 | 82.6 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 80.8 | 2024 | 87.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 76.2 | 2024 | 82.8 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 85.8 | 2024 | 87.3 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 74.1 | 2024 | 88.5 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Austria | Observed | Switzerland | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 11.8% | 2024 | 11.7% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 5.51 | 2023 | 4.48 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 3.3 | 2024 | 3.9 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 90.0% | 2024 | 96.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 98.9% | 2024 | 96.7% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Austria | Observed | Switzerland | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education spending | 5.3% | 2022 | 4.9% | 2022 |
| Primary enrolment | 101.3% | 2024 | 101.2% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 100.6% | 2024 | 101.4% | 2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 92.6% | 2024 | 73.5% | 2024 |

## Technology

| Metric | Austria | Observed | Switzerland | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 3.3% | 2023 | 3.2% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 6,634 | 2023 | 6,108 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 91.9% | 2025 | 97.3% | 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 124 | 2024 | 129 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 18.5% | 2024 | 29.6% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Austria | Observed | Switzerland | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 82,520 km² | 2023 | 39,510 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 47.2% | 2023 | 32.4% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 31.5% | 2023 | 37.8% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 6.3 | 2024 | 3.7 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 36.0% | 2021 | 27.7% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Austria | Observed | Switzerland | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |

## Military

| Metric | Austria | Observed | Switzerland | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.0% | 2024 | 0.7% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $5.3 B | 2024 | $6.7 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 23,000 | 2020 | 20,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/AUT.md and https://terralore.co/country/CHE.md.

## Entangled histories (2 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 15 Nov 1315: **Battle of Morgarten** — Men of Schwyz and Uri ambushed and destroyed a Habsburg army of knights under Duke Leopold I at Morgarten, the first great victory of the Confederation and a celebrated triumph of foot soldiers over mounted nobility. (from the Switzerland chronicle; sources: Battle of Morgarten)
- 9 Jul 1386: **Battle of Sempach** — The Confederates routed a Habsburg army at Sempach and killed Duke Leopold III of Austria, breaking Habsburg power in the region and confirming the Confederacy as a serious military force. (from the Switzerland chronicle; sources: Battle of Morgarten; Switzerland: The Swiss Confederation during the Late Middle Ages)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/AUT/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/CHE/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Austria and Switzerland compared", terralore.co/compare/aut-vs-che, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.
