UN M49 · 5 continents · 22 sub-regions · Country Index 2026

The world, region by region

Where in the world do countries place highest?

Europe’s countries place highest, with a median position of 25th of 178 in the Country Index 2026; Africa’s the lowest, at 143rd. Between sub-regions the gap is wider: half of Northern Europe’s placed countries sit at or above 6th, half of Middle Africa’s at or below 161st.

Median position, by continentof 178

Red square: the continent’s median. Grey line: the range of its sub-regions’ medians. The middle of the whole field is 88th.

225countries and territories
178placed in the Country Index 2026
5continents
22UN sub-regions
21sub-regions with a median
18topics compared

01Every region

The world by region

Each of the 22 UN sub-regions shaded by the median position of its placed countries, darker for a higher median. The borders inside a region are hidden, so its shade reads as the region’s, never as one country’s own. Select a region to open its page.

Median position: 1st178thNo country placedNot a country this site tracks

02Five continents

Each continent and its sub-regions

The photographs are each continent’s three most populous countries with a banner photo, a stated rule rather than an editor’s pick. On every card the square is the median position and the grey bar runs from the best-placed to the lowest-placed country; a count in amber means the median rests on two countries or fewer.

Continent · UN M49 002

Africa

The African continent, from the Mediterranean coast to the Cape — 55 countries across five UN sub-regions.

Nigeria
Ethiopia
Egypt

Countries and territories: 55
Placed in the index: 53
Median of 178 · 5th of 5: 143rd
In the world’s top fifth: 0; Highest: Mauritius 46th

Continent · UN M49 019

Americas

Both American continents and the Caribbean — from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego.

United States
Brazil
Mexico

Countries and territories: 48
Placed in the index: 32
Median of 178 · 3rd of 5: 78th
In the world’s top fifth: 2; Highest: Canada joint 17th

Continent · UN M49 142

Asia

The largest continent by land and people — five UN sub-regions from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.

India
China
Indonesia

Countries and territories: 52
Placed in the index: 46
Median of 178 · 4th of 5: 91st
In the world’s top fifth: 5; Highest: South Korea 14th

Continent · UN M49 150

Europe

The European continent in the UN's four sub-regions, from the Atlantic to the Urals.

Russia
Germany
United Kingdom

Countries and territories: 49
Placed in the index: 39
Median of 178 · 1st of 5: 25th
In the world’s top fifth: 27; Highest: Switzerland 1st

Continent · UN M49 009

Oceania

Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific island states, in the UN's four sub-regions.

Australia
Papua New Guinea
New Zealand

Countries and territories: 21
Placed in the index: 8
Median of 178 · 2nd of 5: 70th
In the world’s top fifth: 2; Highest: New Zealand joint 17th

0322 sub-regions

Where each sub-region sits, and how far apart its countries are

Best median first, on one axis from 1st to 178th. A median hides spread: two regions can share one and be a tight group or two very different kinds of country.

The full Country Index 2026

1Northern Europe6th10 of 13Placed countries run from Denmark 2nd to Latvia 25th.
2Western Europe10th7 of 9Placed countries run from Switzerland 1st to France 19th.
3Australia and New Zealand17th2 of 2Placed countries run from New Zealand 17th to Australia 24th.
3Northern America17th2 of 4Placed countries run from Canada 17th to United States 37th.
5Eastern Asia23rd4 of 8Placed countries run from South Korea 14th to Mongolia 73rd.
6Southern Europe32nd12 of 17Placed countries run from Slovenia 12th to Bosnia and Herzegovina 63rd.
7Eastern Europe39th10 of 10Placed countries run from Czechia 11th to Russia 68th.
8Polynesia70th2 of 7Placed countries run from Samoa 70th to Tonga 85th.
9South America74th12 of 12Placed countries run from Uruguay 34th to Venezuela 137th.
10Caribbean78th10 of 24Placed countries run from Barbados 63rd to Haiti 169th.
11Central America81st8 of 8Placed countries run from Costa Rica 40th to Nicaragua 134th.
12Western Asia93rd17 of 19Placed countries run from Cyprus 35th to Yemen 176th.
13South-eastern Asia95th11 of 11Placed countries run from Singapore 26th to Myanmar 153rd.
14Central Asia100th5 of 5Placed countries run from Kazakhstan 60th to Turkmenistan 148th.
14Southern Asia100th9 of 9Placed countries run from Bhutan 44th to Afghanistan 172nd.
16Melanesia106th4 of 5Placed countries run from Fiji 62nd to Papua New Guinea 138th.
17Southern Africa116th5 of 5Placed countries run from South Africa 102nd to Eswatini 140th.
18Northern Africa127th6 of 6Placed countries run from Tunisia 107th to Libya 174th.
19Eastern Africa143rd17 of 19Placed countries run from Mauritius 46th to Somalia 177th.
20Western Africa144th16 of 16Placed countries run from Cabo Verde 74th to Guinea-Bissau 168th.
21Middle Africa161st9 of 9Placed countries run from São Tomé and Príncipe 104th to Chad 175th.
Micronesia—none placed
The world’s midpoint88th

1st178thmedianplaced

The square is each region’s median position; the grey bar runs from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country. Hover a row for their names.

04By subject

Who leads each topic

Each sub-region’s place among the sub-regions on each topic, 1 for the best median — the same list as above, subject by subject. A hatched cell means fewer than two of its countries hold a standing on that topic. Hover a cell for the median behind it.

All topics

Each UN sub-region’s place among sub-regions on each of the 16 topics that place countries.
	Governance & Institutions	Economy & Innovation	Work & Labour	Education & Knowledge	Health & Wellbeing	Development & Human Capital	Environment & Sustainability	Gender & Equality	Democracy & Civil Liberties	Peace & Security	Risk & Resilience	Mobility & Trade	Food & Agriculture	Poverty & Inequality	Money & Public Finance	Energy	Digital & Technology	People & Population
Northern Europe	3 of 22	2 of 21	6 of 21	6 of 21	2 of 22	2 of 22	14 of 21	2 of 21	2 of 22	3 of 20	2 of 22	6 of 21	5 of 21	5 of 21	No standing	2 of 22	2 of 22	No standing
Western Europe	4 of 22	1 of 21	4 of 21	3 of 21	1 of 22	3 of 22	19 of 21	3 of 21	3 of 22	6 of 20	1 of 22	3 of 21	1 of 21	4 of 21	No standing	4 of 22	3 of 22	No standing
Australia and New Zealand	1 of 22	4 of 21	1 of 21	1 of 21	5 of 22	1 of 22	15 of 21	1 of 21	1 of 22	1 of 20	4 of 22	5 of 21	6 of 21	No standing	No standing	1 of 22	4 of 22	No standing
Northern America	2 of 22	3 of 21	2 of 21	No standing	4 of 22	4 of 22	20 of 21	4 of 21	5 of 22	5 of 20	9 of 22	4 of 21	2 of 21	7 of 21	No standing	3 of 22	1 of 22	No standing
Eastern Asia	5 of 22	5 of 21	3 of 21	10 of 21	6 of 22	6 of 22	21 of 21	5 of 21	13 of 22	9 of 20	8 of 22	1 of 21	8 of 21	6 of 21	No standing	12 of 22	5 of 22	No standing
Southern Europe	6 of 22	6 of 21	11 of 21	8 of 21	3 of 22	5 of 22	16 of 21	6 of 21	8 of 22	7 of 20	6 of 22	8 of 21	2 of 21	10 of 21	No standing	7 of 22	8 of 22	No standing
Eastern Europe	7 of 22	7 of 21	5 of 21	2 of 21	7 of 22	7 of 22	13 of 21	7 of 21	11 of 22	10 of 20	3 of 22	9 of 21	4 of 21	2 of 21	No standing	9 of 22	6 of 22	No standing
Polynesia	16 of 22	13 of 21	17 of 21	4 of 21	11 of 22	13 of 22	6 of 21	8 of 21	6 of 22	No standing	13 of 22	11 of 21	7 of 21	1 of 21	No standing	11 of 22	19 of 22	No standing
South America	12 of 22	9 of 21	12 of 21	9 of 21	9 of 22	11 of 22	8 of 21	9 of 21	12 of 22	11 of 20	14 of 22	15 of 21	10 of 21	17 of 21	No standing	5 of 22	7 of 22	No standing
Caribbean	9 of 22	10 of 21	10 of 21	15 of 21	14 of 22	9 of 22	11 of 21	11 of 21	7 of 22	4 of 20	7 of 22	12 of 21	9 of 21	15 of 21	No standing	22 of 22	21 of 22	No standing
Central America	14 of 22	8 of 21	9 of 21	18 of 21	10 of 22	15 of 22	5 of 21	10 of 21	15 of 22	13 of 20	16 of 22	14 of 21	16 of 21	18 of 21	No standing	6 of 22	12 of 22	No standing
Western Asia	11 of 22	11 of 21	7 of 21	7 of 21	8 of 22	8 of 22	18 of 21	21 of 21	19 of 22	18 of 20	10 of 22	10 of 21	11 of 21	12 of 21	No standing	17 of 22	9 of 22	No standing
South-eastern Asia	8 of 22	15 of 21	8 of 21	17 of 21	12 of 22	14 of 22	10 of 21	13 of 21	14 of 22	12 of 20	18 of 22	2 of 21	12 of 21	14 of 21	No standing	16 of 22	10 of 22	No standing
Central Asia	19 of 22	16 of 21	16 of 21	5 of 21	15 of 22	10 of 22	17 of 21	17 of 21	21 of 22	14 of 20	5 of 22	18 of 21	15 of 21	3 of 21	No standing	21 of 22	14 of 22	No standing
Southern Asia	17 of 22	12 of 21	18 of 21	16 of 21	17 of 22	18 of 22	9 of 21	19 of 21	17 of 22	17 of 20	19 of 22	13 of 21	13 of 21	8 of 21	No standing	13 of 22	13 of 22	No standing
Melanesia	13 of 22	17 of 21	14 of 21	14 of 21	16 of 22	16 of 22	1 of 21	14 of 21	9 of 22	2 of 20	21 of 22	17 of 21	14 of 21	11 of 21	No standing	15 of 22	18 of 22	No standing
Southern Africa	10 of 22	14 of 21	20 of 21	13 of 21	20 of 22	17 of 22	7 of 21	12 of 21	10 of 22	8 of 20	12 of 22	7 of 21	16 of 21	21 of 21	No standing	8 of 22	16 of 22	No standing
Northern Africa	15 of 22	18 of 21	21 of 21	11 of 21	13 of 22	12 of 22	12 of 21	20 of 21	20 of 22	20 of 20	15 of 22	16 of 21	18 of 21	9 of 21	No standing	20 of 22	11 of 22	No standing
Eastern Africa	20 of 22	19 of 21	15 of 21	21 of 21	21 of 22	21 of 22	4 of 21	15 of 21	18 of 22	16 of 20	20 of 22	21 of 21	20 of 21	20 of 21	No standing	10 of 22	17 of 22	No standing
Western Africa	18 of 22	20 of 21	13 of 21	20 of 21	19 of 22	22 of 22	3 of 21	16 of 21	16 of 22	15 of 20	17 of 22	19 of 21	19 of 21	16 of 21	No standing	19 of 22	15 of 22	No standing
Middle Africa	22 of 22	21 of 21	19 of 21	19 of 21	22 of 22	20 of 22	2 of 21	18 of 21	22 of 22	19 of 20	22 of 22	19 of 21	21 of 21	19 of 21	No standing	14 of 22	20 of 22	No standing
Micronesia	21 of 22	No standing	No standing	12 of 21	18 of 22	19 of 22	No standing	No standing	4 of 22	No standing	11 of 22	No standing	No standing	13 of 21	No standing	18 of 22	22 of 22	No standing

05In records

Regions in records

Four facts read off the positions. A record two regions share is not given to either.

Widest spread
Western Asia
141 places
between its best- and lowest-placed countries
Cyprus 35th · Yemen 176th
Narrowest spread
Western Europe
18 places
between its best- and lowest-placed countries, among regions with five or more placed
Switzerland 1st · France 19th
Most in the world’s top fifth
Northern Europe
10 of 10
placed countries in the best fifth of the whole ranking
Of 178 countries placed in the Country Index 2026
First on the most topics
Australia and New Zealand
8 of 18
topics on which it places first among sub-regions
A median of 2 placed countries

06The list

Every country, by region

All 225 countries and territories under their UN sub-regions. Grey names are not placed in the Country Index 2026: they hold standings on too few topics.

Countries A–Z

Africa

Northern Africamedian 127th

Western Africamedian 144th

Middle Africamedian 161st

Eastern Africamedian 143rd

Southern Africamedian 116th

Americas

Northern Americamedian 17th

Central Americamedian 81st

Caribbeanmedian 78th

South Americamedian 74th

Asia

Central Asiamedian 100th

Eastern Asiamedian 23rd

China
Hong Kongnot placed
Japan
Macaunot placed
Mongolia
North Koreanot placed
South Korea
Taiwannot placed

South-eastern Asiamedian 95th

Southern Asiamedian 100th

Western Asiamedian 93rd

Europe

Northern Europemedian 6th

Western Europemedian 10th

Eastern Europemedian 39th

Southern Europemedian 32nd

Oceania

Australia and New Zealandmedian 17th

Melanesiamedian 106th

Micronesiano median

Guamnot placed
Kiribatinot placed
Marshall Islandsnot placed
Micronesianot placed
Naurunot placed
Northern Mariana Islandsnot placed
Palaunot placed

Polynesiamedian 70th

American Samoanot placed
Cook Islandsnot placed
French Polynesianot placed
Niuenot placed
Samoa
Tonga
Tuvalunot placed

07Method

Questions, method and sources

How are the regions defined?

By the United Nations Statistics Division’s M49 standard: 5 continental regions and 22 sub-regions, covering the 225 countries and territories on this site. M49’s middle level — Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean — is left out, so every sub-region sits directly under its continent.

Why is a region described by a median and not an average?

A region’s figure is the median of its placed countries’ positions in the Country Index 2026: half of them sit at or above it and half below. An average of positions would be pulled around by one very high or very low country, and averaging raw ranks is refused on this site because a rank depends on the size of its field. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

Why does Micronesia have no median?

None of its countries holds standings on enough topics to be placed in the Country Index 2026, and a median of nobody would be invented. It is still compared topic by topic wherever at least two members hold a standing.

Which region is Mexico in?

Mexico is in Central America; Türkiye is in Western Asia; Iran is in Southern Asia. These follow the UN’s M49 classification, which groups countries by geography rather than by language, history or alliances.

Are any countries placed in a region by this site rather than the UN?

Yes, 3: M49 does not list Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and Somaliland, so this site places each by plain geography — Kosovo in Southern Europe, Northern Cyprus in Western Asia and Somaliland in Eastern Africa.

Where the regions come from

United Nations Statistics Division, Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49). M49’s middle level (Sub-Saharan Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean) is left out, so every sub-region sits directly under its continent. Kosovo, Northern Cyprus and Somaliland are not in M49 and are placed by geography.

Where the positions come from

Every position is a country’s result in the Country Index 2026 or one of its topics, unchanged. The population and land-area figures are the UN DESA Population Division’s and the FAO’s, added up and shown with their year; every other statistic names its publisher beside its numbers.

Photographs

Each country’s own banner from its profile: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Nigeria (Africa) — Slashme, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ethiopia (Africa) — Bernard Gagnon derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי, CC BY-SA 3.0
Egypt (Africa) — Rudolph.A.furtado, CC0
United States (Americas) — Stefano Brivio, CC BY 2.0
Brazil (Americas) — Luis Rizo derivative work: Jjtkk, Public domain
Mexico (Americas) — Jujutacular derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
India (Asia) — Kumaravels derivative work: ויקיג'אנקי, CC BY 2.5 in
China (Asia) — Seebeer Edited by Nicholasjf21, Public domain
Indonesia (Asia) — Dohduhdah, CC0
Russia (Europe) — Strokin.ru derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
Germany (Europe) — dronepicr, CC BY 2.0
Australia (Oceania) — tiimta, CC BY-SA 3.0
Papua New Guinea (Oceania) — eGuide Travel, CC BY 2.0
New Zealand (Oceania) — Karora derivative work: Inkey, Public domain

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). World regions: countries by continent and sub-region, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions