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Sub-region of Europe · Country Index 2026

Western Europe

How are the countries of Western Europe doing?

Half of Western Europe’s 7 placed countries sit at or above 10th of 178 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 2nd of 21 sub-regions. Switzerland is placed highest, 1st; France lowest, 19th. 7 reach the world’s top fifth. 2 more of its 9 countries and territories are not placed.

Western EuropeUN M49 155

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

10th

median position of 178 · 2nd of 21 sub-regions

Europe →median 25th

01Who is in it

The countries of Western 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 Western Europe

France, Germany, the Low Countries and the Alpine states.

Western Europe groups France, Germany, the Low Countries of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and the Alpine states of Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, with Monaco on the Mediterranean. It reaches from the Atlantic and the North Sea to the Alps, and the Rhine, one of Europe’s busiest rivers, flows through much of it.

The region lay at the heart of Charlemagne’s empire and, much later, of both world wars. After 1945 France, West Germany and the Benelux countries were among the founders of the organisations that grew into the European Union. French, German, Dutch and Luxembourgish are its main languages.

03Where

Western 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 Western 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
Western Europe’s 7 placed countries by their Country Index 2026 position, best placed first.
In regionCountryIn the world1st178th
1Switzerland1 / 178between 1st and 1st if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
2Austria7 / 178between 3rd and 11th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
2Luxembourg7 / 178between 3rd and 10th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
4Netherlands10 / 178between 6th and 12th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
5Germany13 / 178between 9th and 14th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
6Belgium15 / 178between 14th and 22nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
7France19 / 178between 17th and 22nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics

A further 2 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. Liechtenstein and Monaco.

Western Europe among the 21 sub-regions with a median

2nd 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 Western Europe: Economy & Innovation, 1st of 21 sub-regions. Weakest: Environment & Sustainability, 19th of 21.

All topics
Western Europe: each country’s position on each topic, with the region’s median and its place among sub-regions.
Economy & InnovationFood & AgricultureHealth & WellbeingRisk & ResilienceDemocracy & Civil LibertiesDevelopment & Human CapitalDigital & TechnologyEducation & KnowledgeGender & EqualityMobility & TradeEnergyGovernance & InstitutionsPoverty & InequalityWork & LabourPeace & SecurityEnvironment & SustainabilityMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Switzerland10 of 1767 of 17510 of 2003 of 19212 of 1988 of 19618 of 1984 of 17130 of 18336 of 14710 of 1936 of 19434 of 1594 of 18218 of 177100 of 181No standingNo standing
Austria1 of 1761 of 17520 of 20011 of 19214 of 19815 of 19617 of 19831 of 17114 of 18321 of 1479 of 19315 of 19449 of 15931 of 18243 of 177149 of 181No standingNo standing
Luxembourg12 of 1764 of 1757 of 2002 of 1924 of 19823 of 19621 of 19819 of 17166 of 18347 of 14716 of 19316 of 19435 of 15949 of 1829 of 177150 of 181No standingNo standing
Netherlands8 of 17632 of 17541 of 20046 of 19229 of 1989 of 19612 of 198No standing26 of 1836 of 14736 of 19313 of 1947 of 1597 of 18246 of 177143 of 181No standingNo standing
Germany3 of 1766 of 17516 of 20031 of 19237 of 1984 of 19623 of 19820 of 17118 of 18311 of 14735 of 19313 of 19464 of 1594 of 18253 of 177157 of 181No standingNo standing
Belgium9 of 17628 of 17523 of 20059 of 19225 of 1987 of 19618 of 198No standing6 of 18316 of 14738 of 19328 of 19410 of 15954 of 18246 of 177169 of 181No standingNo standing
France7 of 17619 of 17535 of 20052 of 19240 of 19819 of 19614 of 1989 of 17110 of 18319 of 14732 of 19321 of 19429 of 15961 of 18295 of 177140 of 181No standingNo standing
LiechtensteinNo standingNo standingNo standing1 of 1922 of 19819 of 196103 of 198No standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standing
MonacoNo standingNo standing2 of 20012 of 19211 of 19855 of 196126 of 198No standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standingNo standing
Region median8th of 1767th of 17516th of 20012th of 19214th of 19815th of 19618th of 19819th of 17118th of 18319th of 14732nd of 19315th of 19434th of 15931st of 18246th of 177149th of 181——
Among sub-regions1st of 211st of 211st of 221st of 223rd of 223rd of 223rd of 223rd of 213rd of 213rd of 214th of 224th of 224th of 214th of 216th of 2019th of 21——

Columns run from the topic where Western 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

Western Europe in 6 numbers

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

    MonacoGermany496world median 6,541,4131,438,069,596

  • Land area

    km²

    FAO · 2024 · 221 countries · no better end

    MonacoFrance0.4world median 87,58916,376,870

  • GDP per person

    international $, PPP · log scale

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

    No reading: Liechtenstein, Monaco

    FranceGermanyBelgiumAustriaSwitzerlandLuxembourg1,067world median 17,265139,593

  • Life expectancy

    years at birth

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

    GermanyMonaco54.46world median 74.6386.37

  • Human development

    HDI, 0–1

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

    No reading: Monaco

    FranceLuxembourgAustriaLiechtenstein0.388world median 0.7620.972

  • Unemployment

    % of the labour force

    ILO · 2025 · 182 countries · lower is better

    No reading: Liechtenstein, Monaco

    GermanyNetherlandsSwitzerlandAustriaFrance0.13world median 5.08434.2
Every value for Western Europe’s countries
CountryPopulation 2023Land area 2024GDP per person 2025Life expectancy 2023Human development 2023Unemployment 2025
Austria9,130,429rank 9882,520rank 11363,970rank 1681.96rank 330.93rank 225.582rank 78
Belgium11,712,893rank 8130,494rank 13663,488rank 1882.11rank 310.951rank 105.906rank 76
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
Liechtenstein39,598rank 208160rank 208—83.63rank 130.938rank 17—
Luxembourg665,098rank 1682,574rank 172127,421rank 382.23rank 290.922rank 256.343rank 67
Monaco38,956rank 2102.084rank 220—86.37rank 1——
Netherlands18,092,524rank 7033,670rank 13471,378rank 1282.16rank 300.955rank 83.874rank 116
Switzerland8,870,561rank 10039,510rank 13185,732rank 783.95rank 80.97rank 24.873rank 100

07In records

Western 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 Western 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. Belgium13 → 10+3
  2. Germany6 → 5+1
  3. France27 → 26+1

Declined most

rank before → after
  1. Luxembourg22 → 25−3
  2. Liechtenstein15 → 17−2
  3. Austria20 → 22−2
Every country in the Human Development Index

09In context

Across the border

The countries outside Western 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.

Northern Europe

South America

The neighbouring sub-regions

10Places

Landmarks of Western Europe

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

  • Eiffel Tower, seen from the Champ de Mars, Paris, France

    Eiffel Tower

    Wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, completed in 1889.

    Photo: Benh LIEU SONG · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Mont Saint-Michel as viewed along the Couesnon River in Normandy, France

    Mont-Saint-Michel

    Tidal island and abbey off the coast of Normandy.

    Photo: Diliff · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Neuschwanstein Castle at Schwangau, Bavaria, Germany.

    Neuschwanstein Castle

    Nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace above the village of Hohenschwangau in Bavaria.

    Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany

    Brandenburg Gate

    Neoclassical monument in Berlin, completed in 1791 on the site of a former city gate.

    Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • An aerial view of the Amsterdam city center and Canal Ring

    Canals of Amsterdam

    Seventeenth-century ring of canals in the centre of Amsterdam.

    Photo: Swimmerguy269 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

    Rijksmuseum

    National museum of the Netherlands in Amsterdam, housed in a building opened in 1885.

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

  • Cervino cloud

    Matterhorn

    Pyramidal peak of the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy.

    Photo: Gianluca Miscione · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

  • Castle of Chillon

    Chillon Castle

    Medieval island castle on the shore of Lake Geneva near Montreux.

    Photo: Zacharie Grossen · 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 Western Europe?

9 countries and territories: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands and Switzerland. Membership follows the United Nations’ M49 classification.

Which country in Western Europe is placed highest?

Switzerland, placed 1st of 178 in the Country Index 2026. France is placed lowest, 19th. 7 of the region’s 9 countries and territories are placed; the rest hold standings on too few topics.

How does Western Europe compare with other regions?

Half of its 7 placed countries sit at or above 10th of 178, which places it 2nd 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 Western Europe?

199,537,112 in 2023, the sum of the UN DESA Population Division’s figures for its 9 countries and territories.

What is the largest country in Western Europe?

By land area, France: 538,950 square kilometres (2024). By population, Germany: 84,548,231 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). Western Europe: countries, population and rankings, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/regions/western-europe

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