Liechtenstein

In brief

Liechtenstein is a country in Western Europe. Its capital is Vaduz. With 41,024 inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 188th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 160 km². Landlocked, it shares land borders with Austria and Switzerland.

GDP per capita stands at $220,167 (2024), 2nd in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 84.2 years (2024). 15% of the population lives in cities.

History of Liechtenstein

The principality was created in 1719, when Emperor Charles VI united the lordships of Vaduz and Schellenberg for the princely House of Liechtenstein. Sovereign since 1806, it abolished its army in 1868 and has remained neutral. Since 1923 a customs union has tied it to Switzerland, whose franc it uses. It joined the UN in 1990.

Geography of Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world, with Uzbekistan: its neighbours, Switzerland and Austria, have no sea access either. The Rhine valley lies to the west and the Alps to the east, peaking at Grauspitz (2,599 m).

Map of Liechtenstein

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Flag of Liechtenstein

The flag of Liechtenstein is red and blue. Its official proportions are 3:5 (height to width).

• Red51%
• Blue46%
• Yellow2%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Blue over red, with a gold crown. The crown was added in 1937: at the 1936 Berlin Olympics it was noticed that the flag was identical to Haiti’s.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Liechtenstein” and “Flag of Liechtenstein”.

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Fact file

Economy and society