“Information for Your Destination”

The Countries

Country Flags

We list 46 European countries for reference in Europe Traveler Guide. The largest being European Russia to the smallest the Holy See – Vatican City. Parts of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakstan overlap into what is considered by geographers continental Europe. We may include them in the future. Also now omitted are Kosovo, who has declared its independence, Crimea’s alliance as a part of the Russian Federation and Transnistria the breakaway state of Moldova. At this time the UN as well as most countries have not recognized their autonomous status.

European Union Member Countries

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Czechia

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

While these European microstates are not members of the EU, they include use of the Euro and other areas of cooperation

Andorra

Holy See

Monaco

San Marino

Non-European Union Countries

Albania

Belarus

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Iceland

Kosovo

Liechtenstein

Moldova

Montenegro

North Macedonia

Norway

Russia

Serbia

Switzerland

Turkey

Ukraine

United Kingdom

These areas are are Dependancies of the United Kingdom

Gibraltar

British Overseas Territory

Guernsey

Crown Dependency

Isle of Man

Crown Dependency

Jersey

Crown Dependency

Country Statistics

The following table shows a quick snapshot of important information all European countries, excluding those mentioned above.

 CountryCapitolArea (mi2)PopulationSymbolCurrencyEUSchengenTime Zone
ALBANIATirana11,0822,878,549ALALL- LekNoNoCET
ANDORRAAndorra la Vella17974,794ADEUR – €NoNoCET
AUSTRIAVienna32,3868,857,960AEUR – €19951995CET
BELARUSMinsk80,1559,477,100BYBYN – BrNoNoMSKS
BELGIUMBrussels11,78711,449,656BEEUR – €19521985CET
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINASarajevo19,7723,511,372BABAM – KMNoNoCET
BULGARIASofia42,8587,000,039BGBNG – лв2007NoEET
CROATIAZagreb21,8314,105,493HRHRK – kn2013NoCET
CYPRUSNicosia2,276864,200CYEUR – €2004NoEET
CZECHIAPrague30,45110,627,794CZCZK- Kč20042004CET
DENMARKCopenhagen16,6405,837,213DKDKK – kr19731996CET
ESTONIATallinn17,5051,328,976EEEUR – €20042004EET
FINLANDHelsinki130,6665,522,015FIEUR – €19951996EET
FRANCEParis210,02667,076,000FREUR – €19521985CET
GERMANYBerlin137,90383,122,889DEEUR – €19521985CET
GIBRALTARWestside2.634,003GIGIP – £NoNoCET
GREECEAthens50,94910,768,193GREUR – €19811992CET
GUERNSEYSt. Peter Port2562,792GGGBP – £NoNoEET
HOLY SEEVatican City.17799VAEUR – €NoNoCET
HUNGARYBudapest35,9199,771,000HUHUF – Ft20042004CET
JERSEYSt. Heller46.2103,267JEGBP – £NoNoEET
ICELANDReykjavik39,682342,773ISISK – krNo1996GMT
ISLE of MANDouglas22184,069IMGBP – £NoNoEET
ITALYRome116,33660,390,560ITEUR – €19521990CET
KOSOVOPristina4,2031,806,279XKEUR – €NoNoCET
LATVIARiga24,9281,921,300LVEUR – €20042004EET
LIECHTENSTEINVaduz6238,194LICFH- CHFNo2008CET
LITHUANIAVilnius25,2122,794,090LTEUR – €20042004EET
LUXEMBOURGLuxembourg City998626,108LUEUR – €19521985CET
MALTAValletta122514,564MTEUR – €20042004CET
MOLDOVAChișinău13,0672,681,735MDMDL – LNoNoEET
MONACOMonte Carlo.7839,419MCEUR – €NoNoCET
MONTENEGROPodgorica5,333622,359MEEUR – €NoNoCET
NETHERLANDSAmsterdam16,03317,417,600NLEUR – €19521985CET
NORTH MACEDONIASkopje9,9282,075,301MKEUR – €NoNoCET
NORWAYOslo125,0135,323,933NONOK – krNo1996CET
POLANDWarsaw120,72838,433,600PLPLN – Zł20042004CET
PORTUGALLisbon35,55610,276,617PTEUR – €19861992GMT
ROMANIABucharest92,04319,523,621RORON – lei2007NoEET
RUSSIAMoscow3,992,500108,949,694RURUB – ₽NoNo*(1)
SAN MARINOSan Marino2433,407SMEUR – €NoNoCET
SERBIABelgrade29,9136,963,764RSRSD – ДинNoNoCET
SLOVAKIABratislava18,9335,445,087SKEUR – €20042004CET
SLOVENIALjubljana7,8272,070,050SIEUR – €20042004CET
SPAINMadrid195,36447,733,038ESEUR – €19861992CET
SWEDENStockholm173,86010,319,601SESEK + kr 19951996CET
SWITZERLANDBern15,9408,526,932CHCFH- CHFNo2004CET
TURKEYAnkara302,53583,154,997TRTL – ₺NoNoEET
UKRAINEKyiv232,82041,660,982USгрн – ₴NoNoEET
UNITED KINGDOMLondon93,78866,796,807GBGBP – £NoNoGMT
*(1) There are nine time zones across Russia. The western most zone MSK (known is Russia as Moscow Standard Time) is UTC+3. It does not change to Daylight Savings Time. This is the time zone for Moscow & St. Petersburg.

Country Prosperity Index

The Legatum Prosperity Index is an annual ranking developed by the Legatum Institute, an independent educational charity founded and part-funded by the private investment firm Legatum.
As of the 2021 rankings, 167 countries and territories were ranked, and Denmark topped the list at number 1 with a 83.86 score, followed by Norway in second and Sweden third. The United States ranked 20th and the South Sudan was in last place at 167th.

The ranking is based on a variety of factors broken down into categories of prosperity pillars including;

  • Safety & Security
  • Personal Freedom
  • Governance
  • Social Capital
  • Investment Environment
  • Enterprise Conditions
  • Infrastructure & Market Access
  • Economic Quality
  • Living Conditions
  • Health
  • Education
  • Natural Environment

Top 50 Countries

The list below shows all countries and their overall ranking in the world. The micro-state countries below were not ranked in the report.  Andorra ,  Holy See.  Liechtenstein,  Monaco.

1  Denmark
2  Norway
3  Sweden
4  Finland
5   Switzerland
6  Netherlands
7  Luxembourg
8 New Zealand
9  Germany
10  Iceland
11  Austria
12  Ireland
13  United Kingdom
14 Singapore
15 Canada

16 Australia
17  Estonia
18 Hong Kong
19 Japan
20 United States
21 Taiwan
22  France
23  Belgium
24  Spain
25  Malta
26  Slovenia
27  Czechia
28  Portugal
29 South Korea
30  Latvia

31  Italy
32 Israel
33  Lithuania
34 Cyprus
35  Slovakia
36  Poland
37 Uruguay
38 Chile
39 Costa Rica
40  Croatia
41 United Arab Emirates
42 Malaysia
43  Greece
44  Hungary
45 Mauritius

46 Qatar
47  Romania
48  Bulgaria
49  Montenegro
50 Seychelles
These European Countries did not rank in the top 50
53  Serbia
60  North Macedonia
69  Albania
70  Russia
72  Moldova
78  Ukraine
93  Turkey

Only European countries are listed in the categories of prosperity pillars below. If you wish to view all country rankings by pillar profiles go to Legatum Institute Prosperity Index 2021 for the complete report.

Safety and Security

Safety and Security is an integral component of prosperity. Citizens’ well- being is dependent on having personal safety, where their person and property are free from violence and theft. A secure and stable environment is necessary for attracting investment and sustaining economic growth. In short, a nation can prosper only in an environment of security and safety for its citizens. The United States ranked 69, the South Sudan is ranked last at 167.

1  Norway
2   Switzerland
3  Luxembourg
4  Iceland
5  Denmark

9  Netherlands
10  Sweden
11  Austria
12  Czechia
13  Ireland

14  Slovenia
17  United Kingdom
18  Finland
20  Poland
21  Germany

22  Malta
23  Italy
24  Estonia
25  Croatia
28  Spain

Personal Freedom

Personal Freedom captures the extent to which the population of a country is free to determine the course of their lives without undue restrictions. This includes freedom from coercion and restrictions on movement, speech and assembly. Central to this is the level of agency an individual experiences, and their freedom from discrimination. The United States ranked 22, Eritrea is ranked last at 167.

1  Norway
2  Denmark
3  Sweden
4  Finland
5  Netherlands

6  Ireland
7  Luxembourg
9  Iceland
10   Switzerland
12  Germany

13  Portugal
14  Austria
17  United Kingdom
18  Spain
19  Belgium

20  Malta
23  Estonia
24  Czechia
25  France
26  Italy

Governance

Governance measures the extent to which there are checks and restraints on political power and whether govern- ments operate effectively and without corruption. The nature of a country’s governance has a material impact on its prosperity. The rule of law, strong insti- tutions and regulatory quality contrib- ute significantly to economic growth, as do competent governments that enact policy efficiently and design regulations that deliver policy objectives without being overly burdensome. The United States ranked 23, Venezuela is ranked last at 167.

1  Finland
2  Denmark
3  Norway
5  Netherlands
6  Sweden

7   Switzerland
8  Luxembourg
9  Germany
11  Iceland
13  Austria

14  United Kingdom
15  Ireland
16  Belgium
17  Estonia
19  France

24  Portugal
25  Spain
26  Malta
31  Czechia
32  Lithuania

Social Capital

Social Capital measures how cohesive a society is in terms of people trusting, respecting and helping one another, and the institutional structures they inter- act with. A person’s wellbeing is best provided for in a society where people trust one another and have the support of their friends and family. Societies with lower levels of trust tend to experience lower levels of economic growth and social wellbeing. Thus, the word “capi- tal” in “social capital” highlights the contribution of social networks as an asset that produces economic returns and improves wellbeing. The United States ranked 13, Afghanistan is ranked last at 167.

1  Denmark
2  Norway
3  Finland
5  Sweden
6  Iceland
5  Netherlands

7  Netherlands
9   Switzerland
12  Austria
16  Germany
18  Ireland
19  Luxembourg

20  United Kingdom
22  Malta
25  Estonia
31  Spain
35  Slovenia
40  Montenegro

45  Moldova
48  Hungary
53  Slovakia
55  France
56  Poland
57  Czechia

Open Economies

Open Economies encourage innovation and investment, promote business and trade, and facilitate inclusive growth. This domain captures the extent to which the economies of each country embody these ideals.
Investment Environment – Enterprise Conditions – Market Access and Infrastructure – Economic Quality

1  Norway
2  Denmark
3  Sweden

4  Finland
5  Netherlands
6  Ireland

7  Luxembourg
9  Iceland
10   Switzerland

Living Conditions

Living Conditions measures whether a reasonable quality of life is extended to the whole population, which is necessary for a nation to be prosperous. This includes several key areas — in addition to material resources, people must also have access to adequate shelter and a healthy diet, basic services such as electricity, clean water and sanitation, safety at work and in their lived environment and the ability to connect and engage in core activities in society. The United States ranked 27, Central African Republic is ranked last at 167.

1  Netherlands
2  Germany
3  Denmark
5  Sweden
6   Switzerland

7  Norway
8  Luxembourg
9  Finland
10  United Kingdom
12  Iceland

14  Malta
15  Belgium
17  Austria
18  Portugal
19  Ireland

20  Spain
21  Estonia
23  France
25  Slovenia
28  Czechia

Health

Health measures the extent to which people are healthy and have access to the necessary services to maintain good health. Those who enjoy good physical and mental health report high levels of wellbeing, whilst poor health provides a major obstacle to people fulfilling their potential. The coverage and accessibility of effective healthcare, combined with behaviours that sustain a healthy life- style, are critical to both individual and national prosperity. The United States ranked 68, Japan is ranked 1, Central African Republic is ranked last at 167.

4  Norway
8  Iceland
9  Netherlands
10  Sweden
11  Malta

12  Luxembourg
13   Switzerland
14  Finland
16  Germany
18  Denmark

16  Germany
17  Italy
19  Belgium
20  France
21  Spain

23  Slovenia
25  Austria
26  Ireland
28  Cyprus
30  Czechia

Education

Education is a building block for prosper- ous societies; the accumulation of skills and capabilities contributes to economic growth. Education provides the opportu- nity for individuals to reach their poten- tial, and a more fulfilled and prosperous life. A better-educated population also leads to greater civic engagement and improved social outcomes — such as better health and lower crime rates. The United States is ranked 20, Singapore is ranked 1, the South Sudan is ranked last at 167.

3  Denmark
4  Finland
7  Netherlands
8   Switzerland
10  Norway

13  Ireland
14  Sweden
15  Iceland
16  United Kingdom
18  Belgium

19  Estonia
21  Slovenia
22  Russia
23  Germany
24  Spain

25  Austria
26  Latvia
27  France
28  Lithuania
31  Czechia

Natural Environment

Natural Environment captures the parts of the physical environment that have a direct effect on people in their daily lives and changes that might impact the prosperity of future generations. A well-managed natural environment benefits a nation by yielding crops, material for construction, wildlife and food, and sources of energy, while clean air leads to a higher quality of living for all. The United States ranked 23, Pakistan is ranked last at 167.

1  Sweden
2  Finland
3  Slovenia
5  Estonia
6  Austria
7   Switzerland

8  Denmark
9  Latvia
10  Norway
11  Luxembourg
12  France
13  Ireland

14  Germany
15  Lithuania
17  Iceland
20  Slovakia
22  United Kingdom
26  Czechia

27  Croatia
28  Greece
33  Hungary
35  Netherlands
36  Portugal
38  Cyprus