And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the Top 10 ! Not only do these countries all have at least one victory to their names, they have also secured several Top 10 and Top 3 placements and the averages of all their final results rank comparatively high. Taking into account the win-to-participation ratios, total number of wins, number of Top 10 and Top 3 placements, Grand Final qualification rates (or number of Bottom 5 placements for the Big 5 countries), and averages of every final result, the following 10 countries are the most successful in Eurovision history.
10. Monaco
It has been nearly 20 years since the last time Monaco competed in Eurovision, but they were rather successful back in the day. Out of just 24 participations, Monaco placed in the Top 10 sixteen times, five of which were Top 3 placements. They even brought home a victory with Séverine Ferrer’s “Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue” in 1971. After a 25-year hiatus, Monaco returned to the contest in 2004: the year when Semi Finals were introduced. Unfortunately, they failed to qualify for the Grand Final three years in a row, after which they withdrew from the contest indefinitely. The average of all their final results is about 11.
Monaco has not participated in the contest since 2006.
9. Israel
Israel is the only country with exactly four wins: the third highest number (the first being seven and the second being five). They have the fifth highest win-to-participation ratio out of any country at four wins out of 46 participations (8.7%). In addition to their victories, they have also earned 18 Top 10 placements, including four Top 3 placements. This puts them at placing in the Top 10 nearly half of the time (46%, to be exact). They have a Grand Final qualification rate of 65%, having qualified 13 out of 20 times. The average of all their final results is a little over 13.5.
Yuval Raphael will represent Israel with the song “New Day Will Dawn” later this month.
8. Ireland
Ireland is tied with Sweden for the highest number of Eurovision wins (seven), and two of those victories were achieved by the same artist: Johnny Logan. Ireland is also the only country in Eurovision history to win the contest three years in a row (1992, 1993, and 1994). Despite these records, however, the country has been struggling lately, only qualifying for the Grand Final in two out of the past 10 contests with an overall qualification rate of just 45%. They finally broke their NQ streak last year with Bambie Thug’s “Doomsday Blue,” landing a Top 10 placement in the process. This was their 32nd Top 10 result; they have placed in the Top 10 about 56% of the time. Their other Top 10 placements include four 2nd places and one 3rd place. Ireland has the third highest win-to-participation ratio out of any country, winning 12.3% of the contests they’ve participated in. The average of all their final results is about 13.5.
Emmy will represent Ireland with the song “Laika Party” later this month.
7. United Kingdom
Like their fellow Big 5 countries Spain and Germany, the United Kingdom has an unfortunate tendency to place in the Bottom 5 of the Grand Final, with six of these undesirable placements in the past 10 contests alone. Nevertheless, the UK has enjoyed many successes over their 66 participations, including a remarkable 42 Top 10 placements (about 64%). Among these results are five 1st places, sixteen 2nd places, and three 3rd places. Perhaps even more impressive is that from the time they debuted in 1957, they placed in the Top 10 an incredible 20 years in a row, this streak being narrowly broken by an 11th place in 1978 then picked up again for another eight years until a 13th place in 1987. The average of all their final results is slightly less than 10.
Remember Monday will represent the United Kingdom with the song “What The Hell Just Happened?” later this month.
6. France
Another Big 5 country, France shares the fate of having incredibly successful early years but struggling a bit over the past couple of decades. While their Bottom 5 placement rate is lower than the three aforementioned Big 5s, they have earned a Bottom 5 result eight times in the past 20 years. However, they have also earned 40 Top 10 placements out of 67 participations (including two in the past five years alone), putting them in the Top 10 nearly 60% of the time. These results include five 1st places, seven 2nd places, and six 3rd places. The average of all their final results is about 10.
Louane will represent France with the song “maman” later this month.
5. Russia
With 15 countries having multiple victories under the belt, it may seem illogical to place a country with just one win in the Top 5 of the most successful countries in Eurovision history. However, Russia’s laundry list of other successes makes up for only winning once. Russia qualified for the Grand Final all but one time, giving them a near perfect qualification rate of 94%. They have also earned a Top 10 placement over 60% of the time with 14 Top 10 results out of just 23 participations. Among these are four 2nd places and three 3rd places. The average of all their final results is about 9.
Russia has been banned from competing in Eurovision ever since the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and it is unknown whether or not they will ever be welcomed back.
4. Luxembourg
Last year marked Luxembourg’s unexpected return to Eurovision after a hiatus of over 30 years. Before their long departure from the contest, though, this country was a Eurovision powerhouse. To this day they are tied with France, Netherlands, and United Kingdom for the second highest number of victories (five), and they won at least one contest each decade between the 60s and 80s. Plus, with just 39 participations this means they have won 12.8% of the contests they competed in: the second highest win-to-participation ratio in Eurovision history. In addition to their five wins are 17 Top 10 placements (though only four of these were in the Top 3). They have technically qualified for the Grand Final 100% of the time since their return, but that statistic is hardly impressive considering they have only competed in one contest with a Semi Final. The average of all their final results is slightly more than 9.
Laura Thorn will represent Luxembourg with the song “La Poupée Monte Le Son” later this month.
3. Italy
Despite their 10+ year Eurovision hiatus from 1998 until 2010, Italy is undeniably the most successful of the Big 5 countries. They have placed in the Top 10 a remarkable 38 times out of 50 participations, which is a whopping 76% of the time. Five of these placements are 2nd places while another five are 3rd places. They are also the only Big 5 country to never earn even one Bottom 5 result. Although they have only won the contest three times, one of their winners, “Zitti e buoni” by sensational rock band Måneskin, tops Eurovisionworld’s poll for the best winning song of the last 10 years with over 36,000 votes. This song is also the fourth most streamed Eurovision song on Spotify. The average of all Italy’s final results is the best out of any country: just slightly over 7.
Lucio Corsi will represent Italy with the song “Volevo Essere Un Duro” later this month.
2. Sweden
While Sweden is tied with Ireland for the biggest number of wins, their win-to-participation ratio is slightly lower due to Sweden participating in six more contests than Ireland. Still, Sweden has the fourth highest ratio out of any country, winning about 11% of the contests they’ve appeared in. Like Ireland and Johnny Logan, two out of Sweden’s seven wins come from the same artist: Loreen took home the gold in both 2012 and 2023. Her second winning song, “Tattoo,” rounds out the Top 3 most streamed Eurovision songs on Spotify after Duncan Laurence’s “Arcade” (Netherlands) and Rosa Linn’s “SNAP” (Armenia). Sweden also boasts 44 Top 10 placements out of 63 participations, meaning they have placed in the Top 10 almost exactly 70% of the time. These results include one 2nd place and six 3rd places. In addition, Sweden has only failed to qualify for the Grand Final once, giving them a near-perfect 95% qualification rate. The average of all their final results is about 8.5.
KAJ will represent Sweden with the song “Bara Bada Bastu” later this month.
1. Ukraine
It’s a tight race, but numbers don’t lie: the #1 most successful country in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest is, based off my calculations, Ukraine. This eastern European country has the highest win-participation ratio of all with three victories out of just 19 contests, meaning they have won about 16% of the competitions they appeared in. Like Sweden, they have placed in the Top 10 nearly 70% of the time, including seven Top 3 placements. Perhaps their biggest claim to fame is that they are the only country in the 20 years since the introduction of the Semi Finals to qualify for the Grand Final 100% of the time (excluding Luxembourg – see above). The average of all their final results is exactly 8.
Ziferblat will represent Ukraine with the song “Bird of Pray” later this month.
Will Sweden bring home their eighth win and overtake Ukraine for the title of most successful country in Eurovision history? We’ll find out next Saturday!
You can view numbers 20-11 of this ranking here, 30-21 here, 40-31 here, and 50-41 here.
