Switzerland has a population of about 7.3 million. Foreigners account for around 20% of the resident population. The average age is increasing, as people live longer and have fewer children.
Switzerland has one of the highest pro capite rates of Gross Domestic Product in the world. Swiss companies are extremely competitive in world markets. In some branches, more than 90% of goods and services are exported. The best-known export items are watches, chocolate and cheese, but in fact mechanical and electrical engineering and chemicals together account for over half Swiss export revenues.
Switzerland is a rich country and most people can live well. Statistics released by the European Union in 2002 showed that Switzerland was the third most expensive country in Europe, after Norway and Iceland. The Swiss pay particularly high prices for meat, cooking oil, fish and vegetables. Housing is expensive, and most people live in rented accommodation. Taxation is relatively low in comparison with the neighboring countries. On the other hand, the Swiss spend a lot on insurance.
The Swiss are careful of the environment and pay great attention to recycling and waste management. The energy policy promotes the use of renewable resources.
Lifestyles are changing. Family relations, work and education in Switzerland are adapting to new demands. Young Swiss follow the same trends as their contemporaries abroad, but many traditions remain. People marry relatively late; they concentrate on their training and career before they start a family. The majority of couples have only 1 or 2 children.
The Swiss work a lot, but they also know how to enjoy their time off. Reading, going for walks and meeting up with friends are among the most popular pastimes, according to a Federal Statistical Office survey of 2000. More than half the population does some kind of sport at least once a week. Doing a course (language, cooking, woodworking, for example) figured at the bottom of the list.
Switzerland measures 220 kilometers (137 miles) from north to south; this takes four hours to travel by train and three hours by car. It's 350 km (217 miles) from east to west.
One of the joys of travelling by train in Switzerland is that you can be fairly certain that you will arrive on time, and that if you need it, you will have a connection waiting for you. It doesn't matter whether your destination is a major city or a remote village: trains and buses are generally timetabled to meet each other and enable passengers to get from A to B in the least possible time.
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