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  3. Papua New Guinea vs Switzerland

Papua New Guinea's area vs Switzerland's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

Papua New Guinea is 11.2 times bigger by total area compared to Switzerland: 178,704 sq mi vs 15,943 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of Papua New Guinea is 174,850 sq mi vs 15,255 sq mi for Switzerland — a 11.5 times difference in territory size.

  • Papua New Guinea ranks 53/197 by total surface area vs 131/197 for Switzerland.
  • Papua New Guinea occupies 0.3% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.03% for Switzerland.
  • 3.1% of Papua New Guinea's area is agricultural land vs 37.8% in Switzerland.
  • Papua has 0.03% of the world's agricultural land area — Switzerland has 0.03%.
  • 79% of Papua is covered by forests, compared to 32.4% in Switzerland.
  • 0.89% of the world's forests are in Papua New Guinea, and 0.03% are in Switzerland.

True size map comparison: Papua New Guinea vs Switzerland

See how Papua New Guinea and Switzerland compare in true size on the map. Drag the outlines to different latitudes to see how the Mercator projection affects their apparent size.

Total size and land area comparison

Papua New Guinea Switzerland
Total area 178,704
sq mi 		15,943
sq mi
Size difference ratio 11.2 1
Total area rank 53/197 131/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.09% 0.008%
Land area 174,850
sq mi 		15,255
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 11.5 1
Land area rank 54/197 131/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.3% 0.03%
Population 10,576,502 9,005,582
Population density 62.6 ppl/mi² 596 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

Papua New Guinea Switzerland
Forest area 138,051
sq mi 		4,940
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 79% 32.4%
Forest area rank 19/196 116/196
World's forests share 0.89% 0.03%
Agricultural land area 5,425
sq mi 		5,765
sq mi
Agricultural land share 3.1% 37.8%
Agricultural land area rank 132/194 129/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.03% 0.03%
Arable land 1,274
sq mi 		1,531
sq mi
Arable land share 0.73% 10%
Arable land area rank 134/191 130/191
Permanent cropland 3,417
sq mi 		97.7
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 1.95% 0.64%
Permanent cropland area rank 40/192 144/192
Water area 3,853
sq mi 		688
sq mi
Water as share of total area 2.16% 4.31%
Water area rank 47/197 96/197
Roads length 5,809
mi 		52,266
mi
Land borders length 512
mi 		1,100
mi
Coastline length 3,201
mi 		0
mi
Share of marine protected waters 0.1% n/a

Papua New Guinea vs Switzerland size on the map

Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2026, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/size/papua-new-guinea/switzerland | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of Papua New Guinea and Switzerland but is not accurate for size comparison because it's a 2d map with Mercator projection that distorts territories near the poles. The farther a country is from the equator, the more magnified it appears. More about country size projections.

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Data sources:

  1. World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2023–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
  2. Wikidata (2026, retrieved 2026-02-08)
  3. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2025, retrieved 2026-02-20)
  4. United Nations | World Population Prospects (2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)

Total agricultural land encompasses all areas used for agriculture: territories under permanent and temporary crops and pastures. It includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vineyards, but excludes sites utilized for timber production.

Arable land encompasses fields utilized for temporary crop production, pastures, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallowed land. Land abandoned due to shifting cultivation practices is not included.

Permanent cropland refers to farmland for the long-term cultivation of crops, such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber, which do not require replanting after each harvest. This category encompasses land with permanent crops like flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vines, but does not include land under trees for timber production.

Inland areas under water, such as large rivers, lakes, and some coastal waterways.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.