Switzerland has virtually no mineral resources and a restricted surface area. It depends for its wealth on foreign trade. The relatively small size of its domestic market - a total population of just over 7,500,000 - is another factor which has encouraged Swiss manufacturers to look abroad: they need foreign markets in order to make investment in research and development worthwhile.

Switzerland imports bulky raw materials and exports high-quality goods. In 2003 the value of one tonne of exported goods was two and a quarter times more than that of the same amount of imports.