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Who does Switzerland rely on?

The largest supplier of Switzerland in 2024 is Germany, with 17.9% of what Switzerland buys. Its share was 20.3% in 2019 and 31.2% in 1995. 327 of the 1,088 products Switzerland buys for more than $1 million have a supplier selling more than 50% of what Switzerland buys of that product; in 71, more than 75%. In those products, purchases from each one’s dominant supplier add up to 6.6% of what Switzerland buys.

Summary

Largest supplier: Germany
17.9%
Concentration (HHI)
605
Products with a supplier above 50%
327
Products with a supplier above 75%
71

Concentration index (HHI): 605 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 17 suppliers of the same size

Trend

Trend in shares

Germany went from 31.2% to 17.9% of what Switzerland buys

Share (%)

  • Germany 17.9%
  • Italy 8.2%
  • United States 7.9%
  • France 5.7%
  • Slovenia 5.4%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest supplierShare
1995Germany31.2%
1996Germany28%
1997Germany27.6%
1998Germany26.8%
1999Germany27.6%
2000Germany25.4%
2001Germany26.9%
2002Germany28.2%
2003Germany28.4%
2004Germany29%
2005Germany27.7%
2006Germany28.1%
2007Germany28.4%
2008Germany28.4%
2009Germany27.1%
2010Germany27.8%
2011Germany27%
2012Germany20.7%
2013Germany21.9%
2014Germany20.9%
2015Germany21.9%
2016Germany18.5%
2017Germany19.9%
2018Germany19.9%
2019Germany20.3%
2020Germany19.1%
2021Germany18.4%
2022Germany18.7%
2023Germany17.4%
2024Germany17.9%

Its suppliers

  1. Germany$67.8 billion · 17.9%
  2. Italy$31.2 billion · 8.2%
  3. United States$29.9 billion · 7.9%
  4. France$21.4 billion · 5.7%
  5. Slovenia$20.4 billion · 5.4%
  6. China$19.1 billion · 5%
  7. United Arab Emirates$13.1 billion · 3.5%
  8. Austria$10.6 billion · 2.8%
  9. United Kingdom$8.5 billion · 2.3%
  10. Spain$8.1 billion · 2.1%

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Products with a dominant supplier

Of the 1,088 products Switzerland buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Refined petroleumGermany67.5%France · 11%$5.5 billion
Unrefined copperZambia100%over 75%Netherlands · 0%$3.8 billion
ElectricityFrance58.1%Germany · 22.1%$2.6 billion
Crude petroleumUnited States51%Nigeria · 35.1%$1.7 billion
Natural gas and LPGFrance60.6%Germany · 30.3%$1.6 billion
Cargo and cruise shipsItaly85.3%over 75%Netherlands · 10.8%$1.2 billion
Refined copperZambia92.8%over 75%Chile · 3.5%$966 million
Dishwashers and packing machinesGermany51.3%Italy · 23.2%$727 million
Plastic pipes and hosesGermany55.1%Italy · 15.4%$582 million
Replacement tool headsGermany63.9%China · 5.5%$580 million
Books and brochuresGermany52.4%France · 21%$503 million
Aluminum foilGermany58%Austria · 12.5%$418 million
TrailersGermany56.8%Austria · 7%$416 million
Railway partsGermany54.2%Poland · 8.7%$406 million
Cocoa butterNetherlands71%France · 7.8%$399 million
Microphones and speakersChina51%Germany · 13.9%$396 million
Home appliancesChina57.9%Germany · 17.1%$380 million
Watch casesChina56.3%Hong Kong · 15%$337 million
Video game consoles and gamesChina53.8%Germany · 15%$282 million
Ceramic tilesItaly66.2%Germany · 14.1%$267 million
LCD panels, lasers and other optical devicesGermany54.9%United States · 8.9%$259 million
Special-purpose vehiclesGermany57.6%Austria · 11.7%$244 million
Citrus fruitSpain59.1%Italy · 18.8%$231 million
Engine partsGermany50.5%Italy · 8.8%$221 million
Steel wireItaly54.6%Germany · 18.9%$218 million

and 302 more

A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Countries that sell more than 50% of some product; the darker, the higher the value of those products.

Selling: who it relies on

Largest customer: Germany
13.2%
Concentration (HHI)
639

Concentration index (HHI): 639 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 16 customers of the same size

Trend in shares

China went from 0.97% to 11.7% of what Switzerland sells

Share (%)

  • Germany 13.2%
  • United States 12.8%
  • China 11.7%
  • India 5.5%
  • France 4.8%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest customerShare
1995Germany21.2%
1996Germany19.8%
1997Germany19.1%
1998Germany19.9%
1999Germany19.6%
2000Germany18.3%
2001Germany19.1%
2002Germany18.6%
2003Germany18.8%
2004Germany19.2%
2005Germany18.6%
2006Germany19.2%
2007Germany20%
2008Germany18.9%
2009Germany19.8%
2010Germany18.3%
2011Germany17%
2012Germany16.8%
2013Hong Kong14.3%
2014Germany17.1%
2015Germany15.9%
2016Germany16.4%
2017Germany16%
2018Germany16.5%
2019Germany16.8%
2020United States18.3%
2021Germany15.3%
2022Germany14.4%
2023Germany13.3%
2024Germany13.2%

215 of the 891 products Switzerland sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what Switzerland sells of that product; in 62, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 2.7% of what Switzerland sells.

ProductCustomerShareSecondValue
ElectricityItaly58.5%Germany · 26.7%$3.8 billion
SulfonamidesSlovenia74.2%Spain · 8.5%$2.2 billion
HormonesAustria63.1%Italy · 17.6%$1 billion
Aluminum sheetGermany65.3%United Kingdom · 10.5%$768 million
Plastic pipes and hosesGermany52.8%Austria · 5.4%$698 million
Replacement tool headsGermany53.4%Austria · 6.8%$610 million
Copper scrapGermany51.4%Italy · 15.2%$492 million
Putty and sealantsGermany57.3%United States · 2.8%$451 million
Uncoated paperGermany56.3%Poland · 19.6%$240 million
Refrigerators, freezers and heat pumpsGermany55.3%United States · 9.3%$210 million
Other precious metal articlesCanada58.8%France · 15%$202 million
Steel wire rodGermany52.6%Italy · 25.3%$198 million
Women's suits and dressesGermany53.9%Italy · 21.2%$195 million
NewsprintGermany62.3%Italy · 22.7%$172 million
Mounted lenses and objectivesGermany55.4%United States · 16.2%$168 million

and 200 more

Concentration compared

The closest countries in the concentration ranking (HHI, highest first).

RankCountryHHI
194Lithuania606
195Angola605
196Switzerland605
197North Macedonia588
198France579
199Israel576

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

Methodology

The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.

Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.

The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.

Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.

The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.

Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.