Switzerland vs United States: Share of land covered by lakes and rivers
Switzerland
3.1%
in 2022
United States
2.6%
in 2022
Switzerland rank
20th
United States rank
23rd
Share of land covered by lakes and rivers over time
- Switzerland
- United States
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 3.1% against 2.6% in United States, a difference of 0.5%.
That makes Switzerland's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 23 shared years of data; in 2000 it was United States ahead.
Switzerland ranks 20th and United States ranks 23rd of 208 countries.
Switzerland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Switzerland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 0.3% | Switzerland |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 2.6% | 0.6% | Switzerland |
| 2020s | 3.1% | 2.6% | 0.6% | Switzerland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of land covered by lakes and rivers, Switzerland or United States?
- Switzerland, at 3.1% against 2.6% in United States as of 2022.
- What is the difference in share of land covered by lakes and rivers between Switzerland and United States?
- 0.5%, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Switzerland and United States?
- 23 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2022.
- How do Switzerland and United States rank globally for share of land covered by lakes and rivers?
- Switzerland ranks 20th and United States ranks 23rd of 208 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of land covered by lakes and rivers. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Lakes and rivers permanent water area (% of total land area).