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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 26th of 183 in the Country Index 2026; Africa’s the lowest, at 148th. Between sub-regions the gap is wider: half of Western Europe’s placed countries sit at or above 8th, half of Middle Africa’s at or below 166th.

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Median position, by continentof 183

  1. Europe39 of 49 placed26th
  2. Americas33 of 48 placed81st
  3. Asia48 of 52 placed91st
  4. Oceania9 of 21 placed97th
  5. Africa54 of 55 placed148th

Red square: the continent’s median. Grey line: the range of its sub-regions’ medians. The middle of the whole field is 91st.

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: 1st183rdNo 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.

  • Young Eyos (costumed dancers) photographed from above at Lagos' Eyo Festival

    Nigeria

  • View of Lalibela, Ethiopia

    Ethiopia

  • A view of Egypt

    Egypt

Countries and territories
55
Placed in the index
54
Median of 183 · 5th of 5
148th
In the world’s top fifth
0
Highest: Mauritius 45th

Continent · UN M49 019

Americas

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

  • Statue of Liberty, NY, in sunlight

    United States

  • Panoramic view of Botafogo Bay and beach, and Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf mountain) — in Rio de Janeiro.::*Botafogo Bay is a protected side-bay of Guanabara…

    Brazil

  • Panoramic view of the Mezcala Bridge on Highway 95 in Mexico

    Mexico

Countries and territories
48
Placed in the index
33
Median of 183 · 2nd of 5
81st
In the world’s top fifth
3
Highest: Canada 24th

Continent · UN M49 142

Asia

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

  • Panoramic View of Taj Mahal

    India

  • A view of China

    China

  • A view of Indonesia

    Indonesia

Countries and territories
52
Placed in the index
48
Median of 183 · 3rd of 5
91st
In the world’s top fifth
5
Highest: South Korea 13th

Continent · UN M49 150

Europe

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

  • A view of Russia

    Russia

  • Aerial view of Berlin

    Germany

  • The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) from the dome on Methodist Central Hall, which is only open to the public once a year on Open House London…

    United Kingdom

Countries and territories
49
Placed in the index
39
Median of 183 · 1st of 5
26th
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.

  • Uluru at sunset.

    Australia

  • Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea

    Papua New Guinea

  • A panorama of the Seaward Kaikouras from Kaikoura

    New Zealand

Countries and territories
21
Placed in the index
9
Median of 183 · 4th of 5
97th
In the world’s top fifth
2
Highest: Australia 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 183rd. 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
  1. Western Europe8thPlaced countries run from Switzerland 1st to France 19th.
  2. Northern Europe11thPlaced countries run from Denmark 2nd to Latvia 26th.
  3. Australia and New Zealand17thPlaced countries run from Australia 17th to New Zealand 19th.
  4. Northern America24thPlaced countries run from Canada 24th to United States 37th.
  5. Southern Europe31stPlaced countries run from Slovenia 14th to Bosnia and Herzegovina 62nd.
  6. Eastern Asia42ndPlaced countries run from South Korea 13th to Mongolia 75th.
  7. Eastern Europe43rdPlaced countries run from Czechia 10th to Russia 73rd.
  8. Central America80thPlaced countries run from Costa Rica 40th to Nicaragua 134th.
  9. Caribbean81stPlaced countries run from Barbados 67th to Haiti 173rd.
  10. South America83rdPlaced countries run from Uruguay 35th to Venezuela 133rd.
  11. South-eastern Asia86thPlaced countries run from Singapore 25th to Myanmar 159th.
  12. Polynesia89thPlaced countries run from Samoa 89th to Tonga 97th.
  13. Western Asia95thPlaced countries run from Cyprus 33rd to Yemen 181st.
  14. Central Asia102ndPlaced countries run from Kazakhstan 61st to Turkmenistan 158th.
  15. Southern Asia106thPlaced countries run from Bhutan 52nd to Afghanistan 175th.
  16. Melanesia107thPlaced countries run from Fiji 64th to Papua New Guinea 144th.
  17. Micronesia109thPlaced countries run from Kiribati 109th to Kiribati 109th.
  18. Northern Africa116thPlaced countries run from Tunisia 104th to Sudan 179th.
  19. Southern Africa121stPlaced countries run from South Africa 93rd to Eswatini 147th.
  20. Western Africa148thPlaced countries run from Cabo Verde 94th to Guinea-Bissau 171st.
  21. Eastern Africa153rdPlaced countries run from Mauritius 45th to South Sudan 183rd.
  22. Middle Africa166thPlaced countries run from São Tomé and Príncipe 115th to Chad 180th.
  23. The world’s midpoint91st
1st183rdmedian

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 & InstitutionsEconomy & InnovationWork & LabourEducation & KnowledgeHealth & WellbeingDevelopment & Human CapitalEnvironment & SustainabilityGender & EqualityDemocracy & Civil LibertiesPeace & SecurityRisk & ResilienceMobility & TradeFood & AgriculturePoverty & InequalityMoney & Public FinanceEnergyDigital & TechnologyPeople & Population
Western Europe4 of 221 of 214 of 212 of 221 of 223 of 2214 of 213 of 214 of 226 of 202 of 222 of 222 of 222 of 21No standing3 of 215 of 22No standing
Northern Europe3 of 222 of 216 of 213 of 222 of 222 of 2212 of 212 of 212 of 223 of 201 of 225 of 226 of 223 of 21No standing1 of 212 of 22No standing
Australia and New Zealand1 of 224 of 211 of 211 of 225 of 221 of 229 of 211 of 211 of 221 of 203 of 223 of 227 of 22No standingNo standingNo standing4 of 22No standing
Northern America2 of 223 of 212 of 217 of 224 of 224 of 2218 of 214 of 213 of 225 of 206 of 226 of 221 of 225 of 21No standing2 of 211 of 22No standing
Southern Europe6 of 226 of 2111 of 216 of 223 of 225 of 2215 of 216 of 216 of 227 of 205 of 228 of 224 of 2210 of 21No standing7 of 219 of 22No standing
Eastern Asia5 of 225 of 213 of 215 of 226 of 226 of 2219 of 215 of 2111 of 229 of 207 of 221 of 225 of 226 of 21No standing13 of 213 of 22No standing
Eastern Europe7 of 227 of 215 of 214 of 227 of 227 of 2211 of 217 of 2112 of 2210 of 204 of 2210 of 223 of 224 of 21No standing10 of 216 of 22No standing
Central America14 of 228 of 219 of 2119 of 2211 of 2215 of 226 of 2112 of 2115 of 2213 of 2018 of 2218 of 2212 of 2217 of 21No standing5 of 2116 of 22No standing
Caribbean9 of 2210 of 2110 of 2113 of 2214 of 229 of 2216 of 2111 of 217 of 224 of 209 of 2214 of 228 of 2214 of 21No standing21 of 2119 of 22No standing
South America12 of 229 of 2112 of 2110 of 2210 of 2211 of 227 of 219 of 2113 of 2211 of 2013 of 2217 of 2214 of 2216 of 21No standing4 of 2111 of 22No standing
South-eastern Asia8 of 2215 of 218 of 2118 of 2215 of 2214 of 2213 of 2113 of 2114 of 2212 of 2016 of 224 of 2211 of 2212 of 21No standing15 of 218 of 22No standing
Polynesia16 of 2213 of 2117 of 2112 of 2212 of 2213 of 223 of 218 of 219 of 22No standing12 of 2212 of 2218 of 221 of 21No standing12 of 2120 of 22No standing
Western Asia11 of 2211 of 217 of 2117 of 228 of 228 of 2220 of 2121 of 2118 of 2218 of 2010 of 229 of 229 of 2211 of 21No standing17 of 217 of 22No standing
Central Asia19 of 2216 of 2116 of 218 of 229 of 2210 of 2221 of 2117 of 2119 of 2214 of 208 of 2219 of 2215 of 227 of 21No standing6 of 2114 of 22No standing
Southern Asia17 of 2212 of 2118 of 2116 of 2217 of 2218 of 2210 of 2119 of 2116 of 2217 of 2015 of 2216 of 2213 of 228 of 21No standing7 of 2113 of 22No standing
Melanesia13 of 2217 of 2114 of 2115 of 2216 of 2216 of 222 of 2114 of 2110 of 222 of 2021 of 2215 of 2216 of 2215 of 21No standing16 of 2117 of 22No standing
Micronesia21 of 22No standingNo standing9 of 2218 of 2219 of 22No standingNo standing5 of 22No standing11 of 2211 of 2217 of 2213 of 21No standing19 of 2122 of 22No standing
Northern Africa15 of 2218 of 2121 of 2111 of 2213 of 2212 of 2217 of 2120 of 2120 of 2220 of 2016 of 2213 of 2210 of 229 of 21No standing20 of 2110 of 22No standing
Southern Africa10 of 2214 of 2120 of 2114 of 2220 of 2217 of 228 of 2110 of 218 of 228 of 2014 of 227 of 2219 of 2221 of 21No standing9 of 2115 of 22No standing
Western Africa18 of 2220 of 2113 of 2121 of 2219 of 2222 of 224 of 2116 of 2117 of 2215 of 2019 of 2220 of 2220 of 2218 of 21No standing18 of 2112 of 22No standing
Eastern Africa20 of 2219 of 2115 of 2120 of 2221 of 2221 of 225 of 2115 of 2121 of 2216 of 2020 of 2222 of 2222 of 2220 of 21No standing11 of 2118 of 22No standing
Middle Africa22 of 2221 of 2119 of 2122 of 2222 of 2220 of 221 of 2118 of 2122 of 2219 of 2022 of 2221 of 2221 of 2219 of 21No standing14 of 2121 of 22No 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

    148 places

    between its best- and lowest-placed countries

    Cyprus 33rd · Yemen 181st

  • 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 183 countries placed in the Country Index 2026

  • First on the most topics

    Australia and New Zealand

    7 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 116th

Western Africamedian 148th

Middle Africamedian 166th

Eastern Africamedian 153rd

Southern Africamedian 121st

Americas

Northern Americamedian 24th

Central Americamedian 80th

Caribbeanmedian 81st

South Americamedian 83rd

Asia

Central Asiamedian 102nd

Eastern Asiamedian 42nd

South-eastern Asiamedian 86th

Southern Asiamedian 106th

Western Asiamedian 95th

Europe

Northern Europemedian 11th

Western Europemedian 8th

Eastern Europemedian 43rd

Southern Europemedian 31st

Oceania

Australia and New Zealandmedian 17th

Melanesiamedian 107th

Micronesiamedian 109th

Polynesiamedian 89th

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.

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.

Cite this page

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

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