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Sub-region of Europe · Country Index 2026

Northern Europe

How are the countries of Northern Europe doing?

Half of Northern Europe’s 10 placed countries sit at or above 6th of 178 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 1st of 21 sub-regions. Denmark is placed highest, 2nd; Latvia lowest, 25th. 10 reach the world’s top fifth. 3 more of its 13 countries and territories are not placed.

Northern EuropeUN M49 154

Northern Europe, shown in red on a map of the world

6th

median position of 178 · 1st of 21 sub-regions

Europe →median 25th

01Who is in it

The countries of Northern Europe

Alphabetical, with each country’s own banner photograph. The position is its place in the whole world ranking, never within the region.

02The region

About Northern Europe

The Nordics, the Baltics, and the British Isles.

Northern Europe groups the Nordic countries — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden — with the three Baltic states and the British Isles. Its landscapes were shaped by ice and sea: fjords, lakes and forests in the north, low plains around the Baltic, and the islands of the North Atlantic.

Norse seafarers travelled from the region across the North Atlantic and into eastern Europe more than a thousand years ago, and Britain later led the Industrial Revolution. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania regained their independence in 1991. Germanic, Finnic, Baltic and Celtic languages are all spoken across the region.

03Where

Northern 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 Northern 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
Northern Europe’s 10 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountryIn the world1st178th
1Denmark2 / 178between 2nd and 4th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
2Iceland3 / 178between 2nd and 7th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
3Norway4 / 178between 3rd and 9th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
4Sweden5 / 178between 3rd and 10th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
5Finland6 / 178between 3rd and 11th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
6Ireland9 / 178between 2nd and 10th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
7Estonia16 / 178between 14th and 20th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
8Lithuania20 / 178between 12th and 24th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
9United Kingdom21 / 178between 16th and 22nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
10Latvia25 / 178between 23rd and 29th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics

A further 3 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. Channel Islands, Faroe Islands and Isle of Man.

Northern Europe among the 21 sub-regions with a median

1st of 21. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

  1. Northern Europe6thPlaced countries run from Denmark 2nd to Latvia 25th.
  2. Western Europe10thPlaced countries run from Switzerland 1st to France 19th.
  3. Australia and New Zealand17thPlaced countries run from New Zealand 17th to Australia 24th.
  4. Northern America17thPlaced countries run from Canada 17th to United States 37th.
  5. Eastern Asia23rdPlaced countries run from South Korea 14th to Mongolia 73rd.
  6. Southern Europe32ndPlaced countries run from Slovenia 12th to Bosnia and Herzegovina 63rd.
  7. Eastern Europe39thPlaced countries run from Czechia 11th to Russia 68th.
  8. Polynesia70thPlaced countries run from Samoa 70th to Tonga 85th.
  9. South America74thPlaced countries run from Uruguay 34th to Venezuela 137th.
  10. Caribbean78thPlaced countries run from Barbados 63rd to Haiti 169th.
  11. Central America81stPlaced countries run from Costa Rica 40th to Nicaragua 134th.
  12. Western Asia93rdPlaced countries run from Cyprus 35th to Yemen 176th.
  13. South-eastern Asia95thPlaced countries run from Singapore 26th to Myanmar 153rd.
  14. Central Asia100thPlaced countries run from Kazakhstan 60th to Turkmenistan 148th.
  15. Southern Asia100thPlaced countries run from Bhutan 44th to Afghanistan 172nd.
  16. Melanesia106thPlaced countries run from Fiji 62nd to Papua New Guinea 138th.
  17. Southern Africa116thPlaced countries run from South Africa 102nd to Eswatini 140th.
  18. Northern Africa127thPlaced countries run from Tunisia 107th to Libya 174th.
  19. Eastern Africa143rdPlaced countries run from Mauritius 46th to Somalia 177th.
  20. Western Africa144thPlaced countries run from Cabo Verde 74th to Guinea-Bissau 168th.
  21. Middle Africa161stPlaced countries run from São Tomé and Príncipe 104th to Chad 175th.
  22. Micronesia—
  23. Europe, the whole continent25th
  24. 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

Every country’s position on each topic, its shade darker the higher it sits in that topic’s field; select a cell for the country’s page on the topic. Strongest for Northern Europe: Democracy & Civil Liberties, 2nd of 22 sub-regions. Weakest: Environment & Sustainability, 14th of 21.

All topics
Northern Europe: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
Democracy & Civil LibertiesDevelopment & Human CapitalDigital & TechnologyEconomy & InnovationEnergyGender & EqualityHealth & WellbeingRisk & ResilienceGovernance & InstitutionsPeace & SecurityFood & AgriculturePoverty & InequalityEducation & KnowledgeMobility & TradeWork & LabourEnvironment & SustainabilityMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Denmark2 of 1983 of 19625 of 1986 of 1766 of 19331 of 18338 of 2004 of 1921 of 19420 of 1775 of 17541 of 15932 of 17126 of 14721 of 182160 of 181No standingNo standing
Iceland17 of 19814 of 19648 of 1984 of 1765 of 19332 of 18321 of 20010 of 19219 of 1941 of 17765 of 17513 of 159No standing79 of 1471 of 18282 of 181No standingNo standing
Norway1 of 1982 of 19639 of 19814 of 1762 of 19311 of 18313 of 20013 of 1924 of 19429 of 17737 of 17515 of 15941 of 17154 of 14731 of 182120 of 181No standingNo standing
Sweden10 of 1985 of 19615 of 19817 of 1766 of 19316 of 18318 of 20020 of 1923 of 19421 of 17742 of 17546 of 15914 of 17120 of 14751 of 182104 of 181No standingNo standing
Finland5 of 19816 of 19611 of 1985 of 17614 of 19317 of 18322 of 2009 of 1925 of 19445 of 17734 of 17519 of 15924 of 17136 of 14782 of 182112 of 181No standingNo standing
Ireland8 of 1986 of 1964 of 19819 of 17646 of 19321 of 18327 of 20023 of 19210 of 19413 of 1772 of 17518 of 159No standing39 of 14783 of 182132 of 181No standingNo standing
Estonia5 of 19822 of 1967 of 19833 of 17637 of 19319 of 18311 of 20014 of 1929 of 19432 of 17730 of 17537 of 15961 of 17148 of 14737 of 182155 of 181No standingNo standing
Lithuania30 of 19829 of 19633 of 19821 of 17621 of 1935 of 18331 of 20019 of 19217 of 19442 of 17733 of 17584 of 1594 of 17142 of 14748 of 182116 of 181No standingNo standing
United Kingdom49 of 19825 of 1965 of 19826 of 17633 of 19344 of 18338 of 20028 of 19218 of 19460 of 17710 of 17550 of 159No standing13 of 14733 of 182127 of 181No standingNo standing
Latvia27 of 19840 of 19634 of 19839 of 17625 of 1931 of 18329 of 20044 of 19229 of 19423 of 17745 of 17554 of 15948 of 17146 of 14742 of 18296 of 181No standingNo standing
Channel IslandsNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standing76 of 182No standingNo standingNo standing
Faroe IslandsNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standing
Isle of ManNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standing
Region median8th of 19814th of 19615th of 19817th of 17614th of 19317th of 18322nd of 20014th of 1929th of 19423rd of 17733rd of 17537th of 15932nd of 17139th of 14742nd of 182116th of 181——
Among sub-regions2nd of 222nd of 222nd of 222nd of 212nd of 222nd of 212nd of 222nd of 223rd of 223rd of 205th of 215th of 216th of 216th of 216th of 2114th of 21——

Columns run from the topic where Northern Europe places best among sub-regions 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

Northern Europe in 6 numbers

Each line is every country in the world at its published value; Northern 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

    Faroe IslandsUnited Kingdom496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    Channel IslandsSweden0.4world 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, Isle of Man

    LatviaIreland1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

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

    No reading: Channel Islands

    LithuaniaNorway54.46world 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, Isle of Man

    LatviaIceland0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    No reading: Faroe Islands, Isle of Man

    IcelandFinland0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Northern Europe’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Channel Islands—198rank 205———6.169rank 69
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
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——
Latvia1,882,396rank 15062,230rank 12138,801rank 4976.19rank 940.889rank 416.568rank 63
Lithuania2,854,099rank 14162,590rank 12048,840rank 3476.03rank 980.895rank 396.731rank 61
Norway5,519,167rank 118364,270rank 6395,173rank 683.31rank 160.97rank 24.637rank 104
Sweden10,551,494rank 90407,270rank 5963,362rank 1983.26rank 180.959rank 58.694rank 44
United Kingdom68,682,962rank 21241,930rank 7953,993rank 2981.3rank 410.946rank 134.746rank 103

07In records

Northern 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 Northern 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. Iceland3 → 1+2
  2. Latvia43 → 41+2

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. Estonia33 → 36−3
  2. United Kingdom11 → 13−2
  3. Norway1 → 2−1
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

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

Western Europe

The neighbouring sub-regions

10Places

Landmarks of Northern Europe

Two places from each member with a gallery on its profile.

  • Geirangerfjorden from Flydalsjuvet‎, Norway

    Geirangerfjord

    Fjord in western Norway, lined with steep cliffs and waterfalls.

    Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Bryggen

    Bryggen

    Row of Hanseatic wooden commercial buildings on the harbour in Bergen.

    Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 2.5 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Stockholm City Hall

    Stockholm City Hall

    Municipal building on Kungsholmen in Stockholm, completed in 1923.

    Photo: Arild Vågen · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Gamla stan (Old town), Stockholm.

    Gamla stan

    Old town of Stockholm, set on the island of Stadsholmen.

    Photo: Arild Vågen · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Stonehenge, GB

    Stonehenge

    Prehistoric stone circle on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England.

    Photo: Stefan Kühn · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Tower Bridge, Londres.

    Tower Bridge

    Combined bascule and suspension bridge across the River Thames in London, opened in 1894.

    Photo: Barcex · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

11Keep reading

Explore further

All regions

The rest of Europe

12Method

Questions, method and sources

Which countries are in Northern Europe?

13 countries and territories: Channel Islands, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and United Kingdom. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Northern Europe is placed highest?

Denmark, placed 2nd of 178 in the Country Index 2026. Latvia is placed lowest, 25th. 10 of the region’s 13 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Northern Europe compare with other regions?

Half of its 10 placed countries sit at or above 6th of 178, which places it 1st of 21 sub-regions. The median across Europe is 25th. The middle of the whole field is 88th. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

How many people live in Northern Europe?

108,129,702 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for 12 of its 13 countries and territories. No figure is published for Channel Islands.

What is the largest country in Northern Europe?

By land area, Sweden: 407,270 square kilometres (2024). By population, United Kingdom: 68,682,962 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). Northern Europe: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/northern-europe

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