Canada-Switzerland fact sheet
Switzerland
Official Title:
Swiss Confederation
General Information
Capital: Bern
Population (million): 8.61
Total Area: 41,290km2
Currency: 1 CAN$ = 0.75 Swiss franc (CHF) (2020- Annual average)
National Holiday: August 1, Confederation day
Language(s): German, French, Italian, Romansch
Political Information
Type of State:
Confederation
Type of Government:
Parliamentary democracy. Bicameral Federal Assembly with a 46-seat Council of States (Ständerat) (upper house) and a 200-seat National Council (Nationalrat ). The Federal Council (cabinet) consists of seven members elected by the Federal Assembly (both Houses) and elects the president for a one year term. The President of the Federal Council is both Head of State and of Government. Administrative divisions: 26 cantons. Governing coalition: Social Democrats (SP), Liberal Democratic Party (FDP), Swiss People’s Party (SVP), Christian Democratic People’s Party (CVP).
Head of State:
President Simonetta Sommaruga
Head of Government:
President Simonetta Sommaruga
Ministers:
Foreign Affairs: Ignazio Cassis (FDP)
Finance: Ueli Maurer(SVP)
Economic Affairs: Guy Parmelin (SVP)
Main Political Parties:
Swiss People’s Party (SVP), Social Democrats (SP), Christian Democratic People’s Party (CVP), Liberal Democratic Party (FDP), Green Party (Grünen), Conservative Democratic Party (BDP), Green Liberal Party (GLP).
National Council: SVP (53); SP (39); FDP (29); Grünen(28); CVP (25); GLP (16); BDP (3); other parties (7) Council of States: CVP (13); SD (12); FDP (13); SVP (5); Grünen (1); CDP (1); other parties (1)
Elections:
Members of Council of States and of the National Council (4 year terms). Next in 2023.
Economic Information (2020)
| Type | Switzerland | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| GDP: ($ billion) | 983.46 | 2,162.38 |
| GDP per capita: ($) | 114,275.62 | 56,945.03 |
| GDP growth rate: (%) | -2.98 | -5.4 |
| Inflation: (%) | -0.73 | 0.72 |
| Unemployment: (%) | 3.14 | 9.6 |
Source: IMF (estimates)
Product Trade and Investment (2020)
Canadian exports to country: $1,798,451,102
Canadian imports from country: $5,882,739,142
FDI in Canada: $50,521 million
CDI in the country: $4,451 million
Source: Statistics Canada
Representation
Foreign Representation in Canada:
Ambassador Salome Meyer
Canadian Representation Abroad:
Ambassador Susan Bincoletto
Please note that all statistics reflect Canadian dollars, with some figures reflecting the yearly averages for the year. If listed as ’0’ or absent, the figure is unavailable.
| Year | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $1,316,529,432 | $4,500,293,838 |
| 2017 | $2,073,183,420 | $4,400,602,292 |
| 2018 | $1,867,946,558 | $4,596,204,077 |
| 2019 | $1,434,494,785 | $4,946,689,202 |
| 2020 | $1,798,451,102 | $5,882,739,142 |
| Section | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Animal & Prod. | $10,925,648 | $31,810,534 |
| 02 Veg. Prod. | $13,788,440 | $192,053,402 |
| 03 Fats, Oils & Waxes Prod. | $3,726,284 | $54,157 |
| 04 Food Prod. | $5,474,684 | $228,613,826 |
| 05 Mineral Prod. | $38,837,005 | $43,497,696 |
| 06 Chemical Prod. | $95,011,214 | $3,240,809,827 |
| 07 Plastics, Rubber Prod. | $5,018,105 | $41,846,407 |
| 08 Leather, Fur Prod. | $778,042 | $1,189,778 |
| 09 Wood Prod. | $740,803 | $11,301,586 |
| 10 Paper Prod. | $14,605,151 | $7,020,934 |
| 11 Textiles Prod. | $3,455,645 | $16,002,371 |
| 12 Dress Access. | $1,222,190 | $511,438 |
| 13 Glass & Stone Prod. | $359,370 | $18,926,381 |
| 14 Precious Metals/stones | $1,120,455,398 | $671,850,761 |
| 15 Base Metal Prod. | $25,706,134 | $80,495,564 |
| 16 Mach. Mech. Elec. Prod. | $189,683,479 | $522,604,805 |
| 17 Vehicles and Equip. | $195,836,773 | $127,650,628 |
| 18 Specialized Inst. | $34,711,356 | $607,956,418 |
| 19 Arms & Ammunition | $506,698 | $1,330,625 |
| 20 Misc. Articles | $3,918,035 | $19,817,146 |
| 21 Antiques | $1,311,457 | $727,478 |
May 2021
Sources include: Statistics Canada, IMF
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