The short answer: Sweden and Switzerland are completely different countries. Sweden is a Nordic EU member with Stockholm as its capital and the Swedish krona as its currency. Switzerland is a multilingual Central European country outside the EU, with Bern as its federal city and the Swiss franc as its currency.
Sweden Is Nordic; Switzerland Is Central European
Sweden sits in Northern Europe on the Scandinavian Peninsula. Switzerland is landlocked in Central Europe.
The names look annoyingly similar in English. The geography does not.
Sweden Is in the European Union; Switzerland Is Not
Sweden has been an EU member since 1995.
Switzerland is not an EU member and instead manages much of its relationship with the EU through bilateral agreements.
So if you confuse the countries during an international policy meeting, somebody will notice.
Their Languages Are Different Too
Swedish is Sweden’s principal official language.
Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh.
This is another clue that the countries are not just two spelling variations of the same mountain brochure.
Sweden Has the Krona; Switzerland Has the Franc
Neither country uses the euro as its domestic currency.
Sweden uses the Swedish krona. Switzerland uses the Swiss franc.
Why Did Visit Sweden Make a Whole Campaign About This?
Because enough people confuse the names that Visit Sweden created “Sweden (not Switzerland)”, a tourism campaign jokingly asking the two countries to divide up their reputations.
Switzerland could keep banks and mountaintops; Sweden would claim things like rooftop bars, wilderness and northern lights.
It was a joke campaign, not a geopolitical treaty. This needed saying because the internet exists.
Sweden vs. Switzerland in One Line
Sweden: Stockholm, Scandinavia, EU, krona.
Switzerland: Bern, Alps, not EU, franc, four national languages.
You may now proceed through the atlas without supervision.