Austria vs Switzerland: Urban area over the long-term

Austria
1,765 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Switzerland
1,802 km² per grid cell
in 2025
Austria rank
71st
Switzerland rank
69th

Urban area over the long-term over time

  • Austria
  • Switzerland
05001.0k1.5k2.0k100015122025

How they compare

Switzerland currently reports 1,802 km² per grid cell against 1,765 km² per grid cell in Austria, a difference of 37 km² per grid cell.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 108 shared years of data; in 1000 it was Switzerland ahead.

Austria ranks 71st and Switzerland ranks 69th of 202 countries.

Across the 40 decades both report, Austria averaged higher in 37 and Switzerland in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Austria Switzerland Difference Ahead
1000s 0 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell
1100s 0 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell
1200s 5.45 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 5.45 km² per grid cell Austria
1300s 17.43 km² per grid cell 0 km² per grid cell 17.43 km² per grid cell Austria
1400s 14.17 km² per grid cell 3.23 km² per grid cell 10.93 km² per grid cell Austria
1500s 22.65 km² per grid cell 14.77 km² per grid cell 7.87 km² per grid cell Austria
1600s 53.03 km² per grid cell 19.23 km² per grid cell 33.79 km² per grid cell Austria
1700s 59.99 km² per grid cell 31.64 km² per grid cell 28.34 km² per grid cell Austria
1710s 65.29 km² per grid cell 35 km² per grid cell 30.28 km² per grid cell Austria
1720s 70 km² per grid cell 39.82 km² per grid cell 30.18 km² per grid cell Austria
1730s 74.16 km² per grid cell 45.15 km² per grid cell 29.01 km² per grid cell Austria
1740s 77.85 km² per grid cell 50.97 km² per grid cell 26.88 km² per grid cell Austria
1750s 81.16 km² per grid cell 57.16 km² per grid cell 24.01 km² per grid cell Austria
1760s 81.16 km² per grid cell 63.51 km² per grid cell 17.65 km² per grid cell Austria
1770s 81.16 km² per grid cell 69.76 km² per grid cell 11.4 km² per grid cell Austria
1780s 81.16 km² per grid cell 75.56 km² per grid cell 5.6 km² per grid cell Austria
1790s 87.75 km² per grid cell 80.62 km² per grid cell 7.13 km² per grid cell Austria
1800s 93.14 km² per grid cell 84.72 km² per grid cell 8.42 km² per grid cell Austria
1810s 97.64 km² per grid cell 87.85 km² per grid cell 9.78 km² per grid cell Austria
1820s 107.12 km² per grid cell 97.8 km² per grid cell 9.32 km² per grid cell Austria
1830s 122.85 km² per grid cell 105.36 km² per grid cell 17.49 km² per grid cell Austria
1840s 145.66 km² per grid cell 112.86 km² per grid cell 32.8 km² per grid cell Austria
1850s 183.41 km² per grid cell 121.09 km² per grid cell 62.32 km² per grid cell Austria
1860s 251.48 km² per grid cell 127.51 km² per grid cell 123.97 km² per grid cell Austria
1870s 303.24 km² per grid cell 138.12 km² per grid cell 165.12 km² per grid cell Austria
1880s 377.63 km² per grid cell 151.19 km² per grid cell 226.44 km² per grid cell Austria
1890s 461.13 km² per grid cell 164.79 km² per grid cell 296.34 km² per grid cell Austria
1900s 518.32 km² per grid cell 199.05 km² per grid cell 319.28 km² per grid cell Austria
1910s 601.64 km² per grid cell 247.17 km² per grid cell 354.47 km² per grid cell Austria
1920s 756.56 km² per grid cell 284.47 km² per grid cell 472.1 km² per grid cell Austria
1930s 899.85 km² per grid cell 332.56 km² per grid cell 567.29 km² per grid cell Austria
1940s 983.37 km² per grid cell 388.96 km² per grid cell 594.4 km² per grid cell Austria
1950s 1,126 km² per grid cell 547.4 km² per grid cell 578.76 km² per grid cell Austria
1960s 1,206 km² per grid cell 738.56 km² per grid cell 467.5 km² per grid cell Austria
1970s 1,288 km² per grid cell 877.22 km² per grid cell 411.19 km² per grid cell Austria
1980s 1,328 km² per grid cell 1,038 km² per grid cell 289.6 km² per grid cell Austria
1990s 1,403 km² per grid cell 1,313 km² per grid cell 89.8 km² per grid cell Austria
2000s 1,489 km² per grid cell 1,428 km² per grid cell 60.85 km² per grid cell Austria
2010s 1,616 km² per grid cell 1,592 km² per grid cell 24.22 km² per grid cell Austria
2020s 1,730 km² per grid cell 1,753 km² per grid cell 22.87 km² per grid cell Switzerland

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher urban area over the long-term, Austria or Switzerland?
Switzerland, at 1,802 km² per grid cell against 1,765 km² per grid cell in Austria as of 2025.
What is the difference in urban area over the long-term between Austria and Switzerland?
37 km² per grid cell, with Switzerland ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Austria and Switzerland?
108 years are reported by both, from 1000 to 2025.
How do Austria and Switzerland rank globally for urban area over the long-term?
Austria ranks 71st and Switzerland ranks 69th of 202 countries.
Where does this data come from?
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Austria vs Switzerland: Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid, drawing on HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/urban-area-long-term/austria/switzerland/

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About this data

Indicator
Urban area over the long-term
Unit
km² per grid cell
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total built-up area of a country over time.