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Continent · Country Index 2026

Europe

How do the countries of Europe compare?

Half of Europe’s 39 placed countries sit at or above 25th of 178 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 1st of 5 continents. Switzerland is placed highest, 1st; Russia lowest, 68th. 27 reach the world’s top fifth. 10 more of its 49 countries and territories are not placed.

EuropeUN M49 150

Europe, shown in red on a map of the world

25th

median position of 178 · 1st of 5 continents

Every region →world midpoint 88th

01Its sub-regions

The 4 sub-regions of Europe

Each card gives the sub-region’s median position and a bar from its best-placed to its lowest-placed country; the photographs are the three most populous members with a banner. Every country follows below.

Every country in Europe

Northern Europemedian 6th

Western Europemedian 10th

Eastern Europemedian 39th

Southern Europemedian 32nd

02The region

About Europe

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

Europe runs from the Atlantic to the Ural Mountains and from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. Much of it is plain and rolling lowland, crossed by rivers such as the Danube, the Rhine and the Volga, with the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Carpathians rising in the south and centre, and long coastlines that have tied its countries to the sea.

Ancient Greece and Rome, the spread of Christianity, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution all took shape here. European states built empires across other continents, and both world wars of the twentieth century began in Europe. In the UN’s classification the whole of Russia is counted in Eastern Europe, which is why the continent’s region reaches the Pacific.

03Where

Europe on the map

Each member shaded by its position in the Country Index 2026, darkest for the best placed; the countries across its land borders in grey. Hover a country for its position, or select it to open its profile.

Country Index position: 1st178thMember, not placedAcross the border, another regionNot a country this site tracks

04Country Index 2026

Where Europe’s countries place

Best placed first. Every position is a place in the whole world ranking of 178, never a second list within the region; “=” marks a position shared with another country. Hover the ⓘ for where a country would sit if any one key statistic were dropped.

The full Country Index 2026
Europe’s 39 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountrySub-regionIn the world1st178th
1SwitzerlandWestern Europe1 / 178between 1st and 1st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
2DenmarkNorthern Europe2 / 178between 2nd and 4th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
3IcelandNorthern Europe3 / 178between 2nd and 7th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
4NorwayNorthern Europe4 / 178between 3rd and 9th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
5SwedenNorthern Europe5 / 178between 3rd and 10th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
6FinlandNorthern Europe6 / 178between 3rd and 11th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
7AustriaWestern Europe7 / 178between 3rd and 11th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
7LuxembourgWestern Europe7 / 178between 3rd and 10th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
9IrelandNorthern Europe9 / 178between 2nd and 10th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
10NetherlandsWestern Europe10 / 178between 6th and 12th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
11CzechiaEastern Europe11 / 178between 4th and 13th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
12SloveniaSouthern Europe12 / 178between 10th and 15th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
13GermanyWestern Europe13 / 178between 9th and 14th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
14BelgiumWestern Europe15 / 178between 14th and 22nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
15EstoniaNorthern Europe16 / 178between 14th and 20th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
16FranceWestern Europe19 / 178between 17th and 22nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
17LithuaniaNorthern Europe20 / 178between 12th and 24th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
18United KingdomNorthern Europe21 / 178between 16th and 22nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
19PortugalSouthern Europe22 / 178between 20th and 26th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
20LatviaNorthern Europe25 / 178between 23rd and 29th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
21MaltaSouthern Europe27 / 178between 24th and 29th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
22SlovakiaEastern Europe28 / 178between 24th and 30th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
22SpainSouthern Europe28 / 178between 25th and 30th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
24PolandEastern Europe30 / 178between 27th and 31st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
25ItalySouthern Europe31 / 178between 29th and 32nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
26CroatiaSouthern Europe32 / 178between 31st and 34th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
27HungaryEastern Europe33 / 178between 32nd and 34th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
28RomaniaEastern Europe39 / 178between 36th and 41st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
29GreeceSouthern Europe41 / 178between 39th and 42nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
30BulgariaEastern Europe43 / 178between 43rd and 44th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
31MoldovaEastern Europe45 / 178between 43rd and 50th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
32AlbaniaSouthern Europe48 / 178between 46th and 56th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
32SerbiaSouthern Europe48 / 178between 47th and 51st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
34North MacedoniaSouthern Europe51 / 178between 47th and 53rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
35BelarusEastern Europe53 / 178between 50th and 65th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
36MontenegroSouthern Europe55 / 178between 50th and 60th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
37Bosnia and HerzegovinaSouthern Europe63 / 178between 58th and 69th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
38UkraineEastern Europe67 / 178between 62nd and 82nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 14 of 16 topics
39RussiaEastern Europe68 / 178between 63rd and 77th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics

A further 10 of its countries and territories are not placed: the Country Index 2026 places a country only once it holds a standing on 12 of its 16 voting topics. Andorra, Channel Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City.

Europe among the 5 continents with a median

1st of 5. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

  1. Europe25thPlaced countries run from Switzerland 1st to Russia 68th.
  2. Oceania70thPlaced countries run from New Zealand 17th to Papua New Guinea 138th.
  3. Americas78thPlaced countries run from Canada 17th to Haiti 169th.
  4. Asia91stPlaced countries run from South Korea 14th to Yemen 176th.
  5. Africa143rdPlaced countries run from Mauritius 46th to Somalia 177th.
  6. The world’s midpoint88th
1st178thmedian

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.

05By subject

Topic by topic

Each sub-region’s median position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field. Strongest for Europe: Development & Human Capital, 1st of 5 continents. Weakest: Environment & Sustainability, 5th of 5.

All topics
Europe: each sub-region’s median position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among continents.
Development & Human CapitalDigital & TechnologyEconomy & InnovationEducation & KnowledgeEnergyFood & AgricultureGender & EqualityGovernance & InstitutionsHealth & WellbeingMobility & TradePoverty & InequalityRisk & ResilienceWork & LabourDemocracy & Civil LibertiesPeace & SecurityEnvironment & SustainabilityMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Northern Europe14 of 19615 of 19817 of 17632 of 17114 of 19333 of 17517 of 1839 of 19422 of 20039 of 14737 of 15914 of 19242 of 1828 of 19823 of 177116 of 181No standingNo standing
Western Europe15 of 19618 of 1988 of 17619 of 17132 of 1937 of 17518 of 18315 of 19416 of 20019 of 14734 of 15912 of 19231 of 18214 of 19846 of 177149 of 181No standingNo standing
Eastern Europe42 of 19646 of 19845 of 17618 of 17173 of 19327 of 17538 of 18347 of 19451 of 20055 of 14717 of 15925 of 19239 of 18283 of 19866 of 177109 of 181No standingNo standing
Southern Europe35 of 19675 of 19842 of 17647 of 17158 of 19325 of 17529 of 18346 of 19426 of 20051 of 14752 of 15953 of 19286 of 18263 of 19856 of 177136 of 181No standingNo standing
Europe median30th of 19636th of 19824th of 17628th of 17138th of 19328th of 17526th of 18333rd of 19427th of 20036th of 14735th of 15925th of 19247th of 18240th of 19846th of 177132nd of 181——
Among continents1st of 51st of 51st of 51st of 51st of 51st of 51st of 51st of 51st of 51st of 51st of 51st of 51st of 52nd of 52nd of 55th of 5——

Columns run from the topic where Europe places best among continents to the one where it places lowest. A region’s median on a topic needs at least two members with a standing; a hatched cell has no standing.

06In numbers

Europe in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Europe’s countries are the red ticks, and the dashed line is the world median. There is no regional average: a region has countries, not a life expectancy of its own.

All statistics

  • Population

    people · log scale

    UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · no better end

    No reading: Channel Islands

    Vatican CityRussia496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    No reading: Kosovo

    Vatican CityRussia0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

    World Bank Group · 2025 · 185 countries · higher is better

    No reading: Channel Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City

    UkraineIreland1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

    UN DESA Population Division · 2023 · 222 countries · higher is better

    No reading: Channel Islands

    MoldovaMonaco54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

    UNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · 193 countries · higher is better

    No reading: Channel Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Kosovo, Monaco, Vatican City

    UkraineIceland0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    No reading: Andorra, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino, Ukraine, Vatican City

    MoldovaMontenegro0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Europe’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Albania2,811,655rank 14327,400rank 14322,724rank 7579.6rank 540.81rank 7110.93rank 32
Andorra80,856rank 197468rank 18867,993rank 1584.04rank 70.913rank 32—
Austria9,130,429rank 9882,520rank 11363,970rank 1681.96rank 330.93rank 225.582rank 78
Belarus9,115,680rank 99202,976rank 8429,666rank 6374.43rank 1150.824rank 653.38rank 128
Belgium11,712,893rank 8130,494rank 13663,488rank 1882.11rank 310.951rank 105.906rank 76
Bosnia and Herzegovina3,185,073rank 13651,200rank 12521,178rank 8077.85rank 700.804rank 7411.04rank 31
Bulgaria6,795,803rank 110108,560rank 10135,326rank 5675.64rank 1020.845rank 553.536rank 124
Channel Islands—198rank 205———6.169rank 69
Croatia3,896,023rank 13055,960rank 12344,172rank 4278.58rank 630.889rank 415.002rank 96
Czechia10,809,716rank 8777,156rank 11449,292rank 3279.83rank 530.915rank 292.825rank 149
Denmark5,948,136rank 11440,000rank 13072,723rank 1181.93rank 340.962rank 45.529rank 80
Estonia1,367,196rank 15742,730rank 12941,604rank 4579.15rank 580.905rank 368.313rank 49
Faroe Islands54,714rank 2021,370rank 175—80.18rank 51——
Finland5,601,185rank 117304,000rank 7155,735rank 2581.91rank 350.948rank 129.461rank 36
France66,438,822rank 23538,950rank 4855,125rank 2783.33rank 150.92rank 267.542rank 53
Germany84,548,231rank 19349,430rank 6462,824rank 2181.38rank 400.959rank 53.711rank 120
Gibraltar38,471rank 21210rank 219—83.55rank 14——
Greece10,242,908rank 95128,900rank 9638,219rank 5081.86rank 360.908rank 348.54rank 45
Hungary9,686,463rank 9691,260rank 10941,161rank 4677.02rank 850.87rank 464.521rank 108
Iceland387,558rank 177100,830rank 10468,065rank 1482.69rank 220.972rank 13.625rank 121
Ireland5,196,630rank 12268,890rank 119131,338rank 282.41rank 240.949rank 114.632rank 105
Isle of Man84,165rank 196572.39rank 186—81rank 45——
Italy59,499,453rank 25295,720rank 7353,606rank 3083.72rank 110.915rank 296.391rank 66
Kosovo1,700,031rank 153—16,461rank 9878.03rank 67——
Latvia1,882,396rank 15062,230rank 12138,801rank 4976.19rank 940.889rank 416.568rank 63
Liechtenstein39,598rank 208160rank 208—83.63rank 130.938rank 17—
Lithuania2,854,099rank 14162,590rank 12048,840rank 3476.03rank 980.895rank 396.731rank 61
Luxembourg665,098rank 1682,574rank 172127,421rank 382.23rank 290.922rank 256.343rank 67
Malta532,956rank 171315.15rank 19863,656rank 1783.3rank 170.924rank 242.896rank 146
Moldova3,067,070rank 13732,930rank 13517,087rank 9571.2rank 1480.785rank 861.505rank 173
Monaco38,956rank 2102.084rank 220—86.37rank 1——
Montenegro633,552rank 16913,450rank 15728,895rank 6477.09rank 840.862rank 4813.57rank 18
Netherlands18,092,524rank 7033,670rank 13471,378rank 1282.16rank 300.955rank 83.874rank 116
North Macedonia1,831,802rank 15225,220rank 14525,095rank 7077.39rank 780.815rank 6812.26rank 22
Norway5,519,167rank 118364,270rank 6395,173rank 683.31rank 160.97rank 24.637rank 104
Poland38,762,844rank 39306,070rank 7046,925rank 4078.63rank 620.906rank 352.976rank 144
Portugal10,430,738rank 9191,606rank 10842,577rank 4382.36rank 270.89rank 406.164rank 70
Romania19,118,479rank 67230,080rank 8140,846rank 4775.94rank 990.845rank 555.992rank 71
Russia145,440,500rank 916,376,870rank 142,358rank 4473.15rank 1250.832rank 642.133rank 165
San Marino33,733rank 21361.2rank 212—85.71rank 20.915rank 29—
Serbia6,773,201rank 11187,589rank 11127,603rank 6876.77rank 870.833rank 627.123rank 56
Slovakia5,518,055rank 11948,080rank 12840,690rank 4878.34rank 640.88rank 445.359rank 84
Slovenia2,118,396rank 14920,135rank 15149,091rank 3381.6rank 390.931rank 213.175rank 137
Spain47,911,579rank 32499,686rank 5149,318rank 3183.67rank 120.918rank 2810.38rank 34
Sweden10,551,494rank 90407,270rank 5963,362rank 1983.26rank 180.959rank 58.694rank 44
Switzerland8,870,561rank 10039,510rank 13185,732rank 783.95rank 80.97rank 24.873rank 100
Ukraine37,732,836rank 40579,400rank 4616,155rank 9973.42rank 1240.779rank 87—
United Kingdom68,682,962rank 21241,930rank 7953,993rank 2981.3rank 410.946rank 134.746rank 103
Vatican City496rank 2220.4rank 221—82.98rank 20——

07In records

Europe in records

The member at the extreme of each statistic, read from its newest edition. Where two members share the top, no record is named.

08Latest editions

Who rose and fell in the published ranks

The moves of Europe’s countries between each report’s two newest editions, in the publisher’s own ranks. A report whose field changed by more than 5% is left out.

Ranks as published by UNDP Human Development Report Office in the Human Development Index: reference years 2022 (192 countries ranked) → 2023 (193 ranked), both from its 2025 report.

Improved most

rank before → after
  1. Andorra37 → 32+5
  2. Belgium13 → 10+3
  3. Italy32 → 29+3

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. Moldova82 → 86−4
  2. Luxembourg22 → 25−3
  3. Estonia33 → 36−3
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside Europe that share a land border with one of its members, with their world positions, and the continents they belong to. Land borders only, as drawn on the map.

The neighbouring continents

10Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The other continents

11Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Europe?

Europe holds 49 countries and territories on this site, in 4 UN sub-regions: Northern Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Southern Europe. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Europe is placed highest?

Switzerland, placed 1st of 178 in the Country Index 2026. Russia is placed lowest, 68th. 39 of the region’s 49 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Europe compare with other regions?

Half of its 39 placed countries sit at or above 25th of 178, which places it 1st of 5 continents. The middle of the whole field is 88th. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in Europe?

745,435,183 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for 48 of its 49 countries and territories. No figure is published for Channel Islands.

What is the largest country in Europe?

By land area, Russia: 16,376,870 square kilometres (2024). By population, Russia: 145,440,500 people (2023).

How a region’s figure is made
  1. Membership. Countries belong to regions by the United Nations’ M49 classification; each country declares its sub-region, and a continent is the sum of its sub-regions.
  2. Positions. Each country’s position is its Country Index 2026 result, unchanged. This page slices the world ranking by place; it does not re-rank anyone.
  3. The median. A region’s figure is the median of its placed countries’ positions: half sit at or above it, half below. With an even number of placed countries it takes the better of the two middle positions, since there is no country at a half place. Countries the index does not place are named, never counted in.
  4. A place among peers. Continents are compared with continents and sub-regions with sub-regions, never a part with the whole that contains it; regions sharing a median share a place. Nothing is weighted by population or size, and population and land area are the only figures ever added up.

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.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Europe: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/europe

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