Skip to content
Nations Inquiry — home

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 8th of 183 in the Country Index 2026, which places the region 1st of 22 sub-regions. Switzerland is placed highest, 1st; France lowest, joint 19th. 7 reach the world’s top fifth. 2 more of its 9 countries and territories are not placed.

Share

Share this page

Western EuropeUN M49 155

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

8th

median position of 183 · 1st of 22 sub-regions

Europe →median 26th

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: 1st183rdMember, 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 183, 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 world1st183rd
1Switzerland1 / 183between 1st and 2nd if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
2Austria6 / 183between 4th and 10th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
2Luxembourg6 / 183between 3rd and 9th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
4Germany8 / 183between 3rd and 10th if any one key were dropped · standings on 15 of 16 topics
5Netherlands9 / 183between 7th and 10th if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
6Belgium17 / 183between 14th and 23rd if any one key were dropped · standings on 16 of 16 topics
7France19 / 183between 16th 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 22 sub-regions with a median

1st of 22. Nothing is weighted by population or size.

  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. Europe, the whole continent26th
  24. 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.

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, 14th 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 & InnovationHealth & WellbeingEducation & KnowledgeFood & AgricultureMobility & TradePoverty & InequalityRisk & ResilienceDevelopment & Human CapitalEnergyGender & EqualityDemocracy & Civil LibertiesGovernance & InstitutionsWork & LabourDigital & TechnologyPeace & SecurityEnvironment & SustainabilityMoney & Public FinancePeople & Population
Switzerland10 of 17612 of 2009 of 19819 of 18442 of 17719 of 15912 of 1938 of 196No standing18 of 18313 of 1986 of 1944 of 18216 of 19818 of 17771 of 186No standingNo standing
Austria1 of 17617 of 20033 of 1982 of 18412 of 17733 of 1599 of 19315 of 1967 of 16514 of 18325 of 19815 of 19431 of 18246 of 19843 of 177113 of 186No standingNo standing
Luxembourg12 of 1764 of 20017 of 1989 of 18446 of 17721 of 1592 of 19323 of 19614 of 16562 of 18312 of 19816 of 19449 of 18231 of 1989 of 177135 of 186No standingNo standing
Germany3 of 17611 of 20019 of 1987 of 1845 of 17753 of 15925 of 1934 of 196No standing18 of 18333 of 19813 of 1944 of 18214 of 19853 of 177133 of 186No standingNo standing
Netherlands8 of 17645 of 20021 of 19837 of 1844 of 1775 of 15939 of 1939 of 19631 of 16526 of 18318 of 19813 of 1947 of 18215 of 19846 of 177110 of 186No standingNo standing
Belgium9 of 17626 of 20029 of 19830 of 18422 of 1776 of 15935 of 1937 of 19632 of 1657 of 18321 of 19828 of 19454 of 18239 of 19846 of 177155 of 186No standingNo standing
France7 of 17642 of 20010 of 19816 of 18424 of 17723 of 15941 of 19319 of 19626 of 16510 of 18336 of 19821 of 19461 of 1829 of 19895 of 177114 of 186No standingNo standing
LiechtensteinNo standingNo standing16 of 198No standingNo standingNo standing1 of 19319 of 196No standingNo standing3 of 198No standingNo standing102 of 198No standing27 of 186No standingNo standing
MonacoNo standing2 of 200149 of 198No standingNo standingNo standing14 of 19355 of 196No standingNo standing10 of 198No standingNo standing123 of 198No standingNo standingNo standingNo standing
Region median8th of 17612th of 20019th of 19816th of 18422nd of 17721st of 15914th of 19315th of 19626th of 16518th of 18318th of 19815th of 19431st of 18231st of 19846th of 177113th of 186——
Among sub-regions1st of 211st of 222nd of 222nd of 222nd of 222nd of 212nd of 223rd of 223rd of 213rd of 214th of 224th of 224th of 215th of 226th of 2014th 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 183 in the Country Index 2026. France is placed lowest, joint 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 8th of 183, which places it 1st of 22 sub-regions. The median across Europe is 26th. The middle of the whole field is 91st. 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

Feedback

Feedback

How are we doing?

Two answers are required — a rating and your email. The rest is up to you.