The 49 European Countries (And Why Some Sources Say 50+)

There are 49 European countries, though the exact number is often debated.

Geographically, Europe is the second smallest continent, larger only than Australia. It is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

List of countries in Europe

Here is the alphabetical list of European countries with their capitals. We have also included the countries’ regions, the international standard for country codes (ISO 3166), and continents, as some extend over more than one continent.

🗺️ Looking for a map of all European countries with their names and borders? You’ll find it further down the page, or you can jump straight to the map here.

Download: List of the European countries.

The 49 countries located on the European continent are not to be confused with the members of the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe.

The EU is a unique partnership between 27 member states, which is about 447 million people, approximately six percent of the world’s population.

As an EU member, government ministers from each nation come together to discuss laws and coordinate policies. The ministers may commit their own governments to the actions agreed upon in the meetings. Many of these nations share a single currency: the Euro.

The Council of Europe is separate from this. Established in 1949 after the Second World War, it currently has 46 members and focuses on promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across its member states.

The European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights can be attributed to the Council of Europe. The organization has played a crucial role in creating a legal framework that protects the rights of more than 700 million people.

Ancient Rome and Greece profoundly influenced Europe’s early political history and the governing of its various territories.

It wasn’t until the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, that the people of Europe began to dominate other parts of the globe.

By 1914, more than 80% of nations had been colonized by Europeans at one point or another.

Europe map

Europe is often divided into four regions: Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and Southern Europe.

Our printable European maps show the exact locations of each country.

For continent-wide comparisons beyond the map, see the rankings of European countries by size and by population.

How many countries are in Europe?

There are 49 countries in Europe, according to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. These countries are: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia (Czech Republic), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye (Turkey), Ukraine, United Kingdom.

The CIA Factbook uses a broad definition of Europe that includes several transcontinental states. Transcontinental countries span more than one continent, and these include Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Türkiye.

Georgia is located in the Caucasus region at the boundary between Eastern Europe and Western Asia and is included here following the CIA World Factbook’s regional classification.

Other reports on the number of European countries may include Armenia and Cyprus.

Cyprus is geographically part of Western Asia but is widely regarded as European due to its political alignment and membership in European institutions, including the European Union. Armenia is geographically located in Western Asia and is also considered geopolitically European in some classifications.

If Armenia and Cyprus are included, Europe is sometimes counted as having 51 countries.

Related: How many countries are there in the world?

United Nations members in Europe

The United Nations (UN) recognizes 47 European member states.

Eastern European states:

1. Albania
2. Armenia
3. Azerbaijan
4. Belarus
5. Bosnia and Herzegovina
6. Bulgaria
7. Croatia
8. Czechia
9. Estonia
10. Georgia
11. Hungary
12. Latvia
13. Lithuania
14. Montenegro
15. North Macedonia
16. Poland
17. Republic of Moldova
18. Romania
19. Russian Federation
20. Serbia
21. Slovakia
22. Slovenia
23. Ukraine

Western European states or other:

1. Andorra
2. Austria
3. Belgium
4. Denmark
5. Finland
6. France
7. Germany
8. Greece
9. Iceland
10. Ireland
11. Italy
12. Liechtenstein
13. Luxembourg
14. Malta
15. Monaco
16. Netherlands
17. Norway
18. Portugal
19. San Marino
20. Spain
21. Sweden
22. Switzerland
23. Türkiye* (Turkey)
24. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Nations recognizes Cyprus as a Western Asian state despite becoming a full EU member state in 2004. Kazakhstan is recognized as Central Asian but has close ties with the EU as its biggest trading partner and foreign investor.

Kosovo is not recognized by all UN members, so it cannot be included on this list. The Vatican City (Holy See) is also an independent state in which the Pope of the Catholic Church rules, but it is not a member of the UN.

The Holy See and the State of Palestine were granted permanent observer state status at the UN. As permanent observer states, Palestine and The Holy See have free access to most UN meetings and relevant documentation.

View the European flags.

Council of Europe

The Council of Europe has 46 member states, which is explained by its exclusion of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, the Vatican City (Holy See), and Russia.

However, Armenia and Cyprus, both located on the Asian continent, are members due to their political geography.

The following countries are members of the Council of Europe:

1. Albania
2. Andorra
3. Armenia
4. Austria
5. Azerbaijan
6. Belgium
7. Bosnia and Herzegovina
8. Bulgaria
9. Croatia
10. Cyprus
11. Czechia
12. Denmark
13. Estonia
14. Finland
15. France
16. Georgia
17. Germany
18. Greece
19. Hungary
20. Iceland
21. Ireland
22. Italy
23. Latvia
24. Liechtenstein
25. Lithuania
26. Luxembourg
27. Malta
28. Republic of Moldova
29. Monaco
30. Montenegro
31. Netherlands
32. North Macedonia
33. Norway
34. Poland
35. Portugal
36. Romania
37. San Marino
38. Serbia
39. Slovak Republic
40. Slovenia
41. Spain
42. Sweden
43. Switzerland
44. Türkiye
45. Ukraine
46. United Kingdom

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