12,273; female 2,433,396) 65 years and over: 15.5%
(male 461,722; female 667,618) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.24% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 9.84 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 8.79 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 82.89 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.47 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.46% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 17,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 150 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss

Ethnic groups: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%

Religions: Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9%
(1990)

Languages: German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian
(official) 7.6%, Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9%

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA%

Government Switzerland

Country name: Swiss Confederation conventional short form: (Italian)
local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German), Confederation
Suisse (French), Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)

Government type: federal republic

Capital: Bern

Administrative divisions: 26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in
French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton
in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden,
Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden,
Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen,
Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich

Independence: 1 August 1291 (Founding of the Swiss Confederation)

National holiday: Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)

Constitution: 29 May 1874

Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial
review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees
of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age;