The American YouTube channel titled From Here to There has ranked from “worst to best” the countries normally described as part of Europe.
The common definition of the European continent includes the territories of 50 countries.
Not all these nations – including Russia – are entirely located in Europe, and six of them have their capital cities outside of the continent’s borders.
Of the 50 countries part of Europe, only Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Vatican City aren’t members of the Council of Europe – an international body aiming to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the continent.
Moreover, following Britain’s exit from the European Union, 27 are currently member states of the political and economic bloc.
With a 3,930,000sq mi area, Europe is home to an extremely diverse range of economies, populations and governments.
The YouTube channel said to have ranked the European nations after looking at data about their safety, cost of living, freedom, quality of life and economy.
At the bottom, the YouTuber placed Vatican City, the smallest member of Europe for both its area and population.
The video noted only members of the clergy and the Swiss Guards are allowed to reside in this tiny nation – adding it is “overcrowded” due to the high number of tourists and pilgrims it attracts daily, and it’s an absolute monarchy formally led by Pope.
War-torn Ukraine and Belarus were ranked 49th and 48th respectively, while another former Soviet country, Moldova, came in 47th place.
Many holiday hotspots were ranked lower than the UK, including Greece, ranked 28th, and Italy. The latter was placed in 24th position, citing an economic and development gap between north and south and an issue with garbage disposal in Rome as the main reasons.
Spain was placed in 17th place, with the narrating voice saying the country “may have the best work-life balance” due to its high number of paid holidays and working hours.
The video added that “many companies even close for two to three hours during the day for siesta” – although this break is normally due to the high temperatures affecting the nation and results in commercial operations staying open until quite late into the evening.
The relatively low ranking of Spain was justified with the fact 2023 Eurostat figures suggested Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the EU.
France performed slightly better, as it was ranked 16th and was praised in the video for its outstanding arts, cuisine, high quality of life, education and healthcare.
Speaking about Britain, ranked 13th, the video claimed the “UK’s damp, cold and gloomy weather is a metaphor for the nation’s current sentiment”. However, despite the challenges posed by the economy, the video acknowledged education, free healthcare and the economic standing the country retains in the world weigh in its favour.
The video ranked Ireland third, Norway second and Iceland first as the best countries in Europe.