In just a little over one month, the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Basel, Switzerland after the victory of Nemo and their song “The Code” last year. Ireland and Sweden are currently tied for the most wins in the contest’s 69-year history, with each having seven victories under their belt. Many would argue that this makes them the most successful countries in Eurovision; however, winning isn’t everything. In addition to number of wins, I have taken the following data into consideration when generating this ranking: win-participation ratio, average placement, number of Top 3 placements, number of Top 10 placements, and number of times qualifying for the Grand Final (or number of Bottom 5 placements for the Big 5 countries). Every week leading up to the first Semi Final on 13 May, I will share 10 more of the most successful countries in Eurovision history, starting with the least successful. Let’s begin with the bottom 10!
Honorable Mention: Morocco
Since Morocco only competed in Eurovision once, it wouldn’t really be fair to weigh its success against countries that have participated at least a dozen times. The African nation made its first and only appearance in the 1980 contest, where they came in second-to-last place.
50. Andorra
Andorra has only competed in Eurovision 6 times, and it never really went well for them. They failed to qualify for the Grand Final all six times; the closest they came was in 2007 when they placed 26th overall with “Salvem El Món” by punk rock band Anonymous (only 24th place and higher competed in the Grand Final). This makes them the only country in Eurovision history with a 0% Grand Final qualification rate. The average of all their final results is 34.5.
Andorra has not participated in the contest since 2009, and with such a poor track record it is unlikely that they will ever return.
49. San Marino
San Marino has participated in Eurovision 14 times, and have only qualified for the Grand Final thrice: a mere 21% of the time. Their best result ever was 19th in the Grand Final with Serhat’s “Say Na Na Na” in 2019, meaning they have never even come close to placing in the Top 10 let alone the Top 3. Even when world famous American rapper Flo Rida performed for San Marino in 2022, they landed in the Bottom 5 at 22nd place. The average of all their final results is exactly 33.
Gabry Ponte will represent San Marino with the song “Tutta L’Italia” in May.
48. Slovakia
Like Andorra, Slovakia has competed in Eurovision less than 10 times: seven times, in their case. There were no Semi Finals yet when they first started competing in the 90s, but when they returned in 2009, they failed to qualify for the Grand Final four years in a row. Their best result had been 18th place out of 23 songs in 1996 with “Kým Nás Má” by Marcel Palonder. The average of all their final results is about 28.
Slovakia has not participated in the contest since 2012 after coming in dead last in their Semi Final that year.
47. Montenegro
Montenegro competed in Eurovision for the first time in 2004 alongside Serbia as “Serbia & Montenegro.” Their artist that year was Serbian, but the first Montenegrin artist represented them the following year and came in 7th place overall. Unfortunately, they have yet to beat that result ever since they began competing independently in 2007. Their best result since separating from Serbia was 13th in 2015 with “Adio” by Knez, and out of the 12 times they’ve competed they only qualified for the Grand Final twice (including 2015). After failing to qualify five years in a row between 2016 and 2022, Montenegro did not return to the contest until this year. The average of all their final results (including their joint participation with Serbia in 2005 but excluding 2004) is about 30.
Nina Žižić will represent Montenegro with the song “Dobrodošli” in May.
46. North Macedonia
Formerly called F.Y.R. Macedonia, North Macedonia has competed in Eurovision a total of 21 times. The first year that they competed under their new name, 2019, was also the year they achieved their highest result yet: 7th place in the Grand Final with “Proud” by Tamara Todevska. However, this was only the sixth time that they managed to make it past the Semi Finals, and they have not qualified since. The average of all their final results is a little less than 25.
North Macedonia has not participated in the contest since 2022, and it is unknown if or when they will return.
45. Belarus
Out of the 16 times Belarus competed in Eurovision, they only qualified for the Grand Final 6 times (37.5%). Their best result ever was 6th place in the Grand Final with “Work Your Magic” by Dmitry Koldun in 2007. The average of all their final results is a little less than 27.
Belarus was disqualified from competing in the contest back in 2021 when they attempted to send a song with politically charged lyrics, and they have not returned since then.
44. Czechia
Formerly known as Czech Republic, Czechia has competed in Eurovision 12 times. Although they have only qualified for the Grand Final five times (42%), two of those qualifications resulted in Top 10 placements: 6th place in 2018 and 10th place in 2023 (which is also the first year they started competing under the name “Czechia”). The average of all their final results is a little over 27.
ADONXS will represent Czechia with the song “Kiss Kiss Goodbye” in May.
43. Georgia
Georgia has competed in Eurovision 16 times and only qualified for the Grand Final exactly half of those times. They managed to breach the Top 10 twice, coming in 9th place in both 2010 and 2011. After failing to qualify six years in a row, Georgia finally broke their NQ streak last year with “Firefighter” by Nutsa Buzaladze (although they ultimately placed in the Bottom 5 in the Grand Final). The average of all their final results is about 25.
Mariam Shangelia will represent Georgia with the song “Freedom” in May.
42. Slovenia
Slovenia has competed in Eurovision 29 times. Their best result to date is 7th place, which they have actually earned three separate times: in 1995, 2000, and 2001. Unfortunately, they haven’t placed in the Top 10 again ever since the introduction of Semi Finals in 2004, and they have only qualified for the Grand Final 8 times, which is a qualification rate of just 40%. The average of all their final results is a little less than 23.
Klemen will represent Slovenia with the song “How Much Time Do We Have Left” in May.
41. Albania
Albania has competed in Eurovision 20 times, and qualified for the Grand Final just a little over half of those times (11 times, to be exact). Their best result was 5th place in 2012 with “Suus” by Rona Nishliu. The only other time they’ve placed in the Top 10 was when they came in 7th in 2004, which was their first year participating in the contest. The average of all their final results is exactly 23.
Shkodra Elektronike will represent Albania with the song “Zjerm” in May.
