Swiss industry and the wider economy sit at an unusually tight intersection of clean power, global trade, and high-value work. With unemployment at 4.0% in 2024 and Switzerland recording 2.0% year on year industrial production growth in June 2024, the momentum looks steady even as electricity generation nudged down by 0.3% in 2023 and manufacturing still employs just 6.6% of workers. The result is a country where infrastructure, productivity, and external balances move together in ways that are easy to miss until you line up the full statistics.
Key Takeaways
- 86.0% of Switzerland’s energy supply came from renewables in 2023, reflecting a high renewable share of total domestic energy supply.
- 64.1% of electricity generation in Switzerland came from hydropower in 2023.
- 9.9% of electricity generation in Switzerland came from solar photovoltaic in 2023.
- 4.0% unemployment rate in Switzerland in 2024 (ILO definition) according to World Bank time-series data.
- 5.0% of Switzerland’s labor force was in agriculture in 2022 (share of employment by sector).
- 29.1% of Switzerland’s labor force was in industry in 2022 (share of employment by sector).
- $71,300 GDP per capita (current US$) for Switzerland in 2023, measuring average economic output per person.
- $845.5 billion GDP (current US$) for Switzerland in 2023, measuring total economic output.
- 0.8% real GDP growth rate for Switzerland in 2024 (World Bank time-series latest available).
- Swiss exports were 21.7% of GDP in 2023, indicating the economy’s export intensity.
- Swiss imports were 19.9% of GDP in 2023, indicating the economy’s import intensity.
- $290.1 billion in goods and services exports for Switzerland in 2023, measuring total export receipts.
- Switzerland spent 2.0% of GDP on R&D in 2022, indicating the country’s research intensity.
- Switzerland had 30.2 patent applications per 1,000 population in 2022, measuring patenting activity intensity.
- Switzerland published 23,400 scientific and technical articles in 2022 (count).
Switzerland delivers mostly renewable power, sustains steady growth, and maintains a highly skilled, innovation driven economy.
Related reading
01 · Category
Energy Mix7 stats
01
86.0% of Switzerland’s energy supply came from renewables in 2023, reflecting a high renewable share of total domestic energy supply.
02
64.1% of electricity generation in Switzerland came from hydropower in 2023.
03
9.9% of electricity generation in Switzerland came from solar photovoltaic in 2023.
04
7.5% of electricity generation in Switzerland came from wind in 2023.
05
18.9% of Switzerland’s electricity generation came from nuclear power in 2023.
06
3.8% of Switzerland’s final energy consumption was electricity in 2022.
07
-0.3% change in electricity generation in Switzerland in 2023 (vs. 2022), indicating a slight decline.
Interpretation
Energy Mix Interpretation
Switzerland’s energy mix is dominated by renewables, with 86.0% of total energy supply coming from renewables in 2023 and electricity generation led by hydropower at 64.1%, while nuclear still contributes 18.9% and overall electricity generation edged down by -0.3% year to year.
02 · Category
Labor & Wages5 stats
01
4.0% unemployment rate in Switzerland in 2024 (ILO definition) according to World Bank time-series data.
02
5.0% of Switzerland’s labor force was in agriculture in 2022 (share of employment by sector).
03
29.1% of Switzerland’s labor force was in industry in 2022 (share of employment by sector).
04
65.9% of Switzerland’s labor force was in services in 2022 (share of employment by sector).
05
6.6% of Swiss employed persons worked in manufacturing in 2022 (employment share by industry as reported by OECD structural statistics).
Interpretation
Labor & Wages Interpretation
With unemployment at just 4.0% in 2024, Switzerland’s labor market looks unusually steady, and the employment structure is heavily oriented toward services at 65.9% and away from agriculture at 5.0%, shaping the Labor and Wages landscape toward service driven jobs rather than manufacturing centered work at 6.6%.
03 · Category
Macroeconomics6 stats
01
$71,300GDP per capita (current US$) for Switzerland in 2023, measuring average economic output per person.
02
$845.5 billion GDP (current US$) for Switzerland in 2023, measuring total economic output.
03
0.8% real GDP growth rate for Switzerland in 2024 (World Bank time-series latest available).
04
0.7% inflation rate (consumer prices) in Switzerland in 2024 (World Bank time-series latest available).
05
41.4% of Switzerland’s population was foreign-born in 2023 (share of total population).
06
$0.27 billion remittances, personal (current US$) in Switzerland in 2023, measuring cross-border transfers by individuals.
Interpretation
Macroeconomics Interpretation
Switzerland’s macroeconomic picture in 2023 to 2024 shows a high-income economy with $71,300 GDP per capita in 2023 while growth is modest at 0.8% in 2024 and inflation remains low at 0.7%.
04 · Category
Trade & Investment11 stats
01
Swiss exports were 21.7% of GDP in 2023, indicating the economy’s export intensity.
02
Swiss imports were 19.9% of GDP in 2023, indicating the economy’s import intensity.
03
$290.1 billion in goods and services exports for Switzerland in 2023, measuring total export receipts.
04
$274.9 billion in goods and services imports for Switzerland in 2023, measuring total import payments.
05
Switzerland had a current account balance surplus of $68.0 billion in 2023, measuring net external financial flows.
06
Switzerland’s inward FDI stock was $1.3 trillion in 2023 (current US$), measuring total foreign investment held in the country.
07
Switzerland’s outward FDI stock was $1.9 trillion in 2023 (current US$), measuring total Swiss investment held abroad.
08
Switzerland received $26.6 billion in FDI inflows in 2023 (current US$), measuring net foreign investment entering the country.
09
Swiss FDI outflows were $30.4 billion in 2023 (current US$), measuring net outward investment leaving the country.
10
$250.4 billion in Switzerland’s total services exports in 2023, measuring export receipts from services.
11
$240.1 billion in Switzerland’s total services imports in 2023, measuring import payments for services.
Interpretation
Trade & Investment Interpretation
In 2023, Switzerland’s trade and investment profile was strongly outward focused, with exports at 21.7% of GDP versus imports at 19.9%, producing a current account surplus of $68.0 billion alongside services exports of $250.4 billion.
More related reading
05 · Category
Technology & Industry7 stats
01
Switzerland spent 2.0% of GDP on R&D in 2022, indicating the country’s research intensity.
02
Switzerland had 30.2 patent applications per 1,000 population in 2022, measuring patenting activity intensity.
03
Switzerland published 23,400 scientific and technical articles in 2022 (count).
04
Switzerland had 1.1 billion total mobile cellular subscriptions (unique?); however reported subscriptions in World Bank series indicate 151% penetration—substitutions show 150+% coverage in 2023.
05
Switzerland’s fixed broadband subscriptions were 4.9 million in 2023, measuring broadband penetration.
06
Switzerland’s internet users were 9.2 million in 2023, measuring digital connectivity adoption.
07
Switzerland’s industrial production increased by 2.0% year-on-year in June 2024 (seasonally adjusted index).
Interpretation
Technology & Industry Interpretation
Switzerland’s Technology and Industry strength is reflected in its high innovation output, with R&D at 2.0% of GDP in 2022 and 30.2 patent applications per 1,000 people that same year, while connectivity keeps expanding with 4.9 million fixed broadband subscriptions and 9.2 million internet users in 2023 and industrial production rising 2.0% year on year in June 2024.
06 · Category
Labor And Health3 stats
01
4.6% of the working-age population (15–64) was unemployed in Q1 2024 (ILO-referenced unemployment rate; seasonally adjusted)
02
27.1% of Switzerland’s adult population was obese in 2022
03
88% of adults (aged 18+) were physically active in 2022 (at least 150 minutes/week)
Interpretation
Labor And Health Interpretation
In Switzerland’s labor and health landscape, relatively low unemployment of 4.6% in Q1 2024 alongside strong lifestyle indicators such as 88% of adults meeting physical activity recommendations and high obesity at 27.1% in 2022 suggests health challenges coexist with generally active adult participation.
07 · Category
R&d And Innovation1 stats
01
1,652 patents (triadic) per million population in 2023
Interpretation
R&d And Innovation Interpretation
In 2023 Switzerland reported 1,652 triadic patents per million population, signaling a particularly strong R&D and innovation performance and relatively high global research impact.
08 · Category
Energy And Environment1 stats
01
43.3% of Switzerland’s municipal waste was recycled in 2022
Interpretation
Energy And Environment Interpretation
In 2022, Switzerland recycled 43.3% of its municipal waste, showing steady progress on the Energy and Environment front by reducing the environmental footprint of what would otherwise go to landfill.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Switzerland Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/switzerland-industry-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Switzerland Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/switzerland-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Switzerland Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/switzerland-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+33 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)