How Many Countries in Europe? 44, 45 or 50, and Why
By Meir Yoshvayev · · 6 min read
There are 44 countries in Europe by the most common count: the sovereign states the United Nations geoscheme places in Europe. Count Cyprus, which is an EU member but sits in Asia on the UN list, and you get 45. Add Kosovo, which many countries recognize but the UN does not list as a member, and the number reaches 46. Broader lists that add Türkiye, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan climb to about 50.
The number changes because Europe has no hard eastern border and a few of its states are disputed. This guide shows the standard list, the edge cases, and which number to use when you count the European countries you've visited.
How many countries are in Europe by the UN count?
The UN Statistics Division groups the world into regions for statistical use. Its geoscheme page splits Europe into four parts: Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern Europe. It lists 44 sovereign states in those parts, plus dependencies such as the Faroe Islands, Jersey and Gibraltar that are not countries of their own.
The UN adds a note that these groupings are for statistical convenience and imply no political affiliation. So it's a convention, not a ruling, but it is the most widely used one and the easiest to defend.
Here is the list of 44 by subregion:
Northern Europe (10)
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Southern Europe (15)
Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, the Holy See (Vatican City), Italy, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia and Spain.
Western Europe (9)
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Eastern Europe (10)
Belarus, Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine.
Notice that the UN puts Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia in Eastern Europe, even though most travelers call them Central Europe. Regions are a matter of habit. The country total isn't affected.
Why do some lists say 45, 47 or 50?
Four edge cases explain almost every difference you'll see online.
Cyprus
Cyprus is a member of the European Union, uses the euro and feels very European, but geographically it lies in Western Asia, and the UN geoscheme files it there. Most European organizations count it as European. Tripfolio's map lists it under Europe.
Türkiye, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan
These countries straddle or border the line between Europe and Asia. The UN lists all four under Western Asia. Türkiye has a small part of its territory in Europe, around Istanbul, but the country as a whole is generally counted in Asia. Some lists include them anyway, which adds 4 to the total.
Russia
Russia crosses both continents, but most of its population and its capital, Moscow, are in Europe. The UN lists it in Eastern Europe, and almost every list counts it once, as a European country.
Kosovo
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. A large number of countries recognize it, but it is not a UN member, and Serbia does not recognize it. Because the UN list is built from member states, Kosovo is not in the 44. Many travelers still count it, and it is easy to see why: it has its own capital, Pristina, its own border crossings and its own feel.
Europe by the numbers that aren't "countries in Europe"
People often search for this number when they really want one of these:
- EU members: 27. The European Union's country page lists 27 member states.
- Schengen Area: 29. The European Commission counts 25 EU states plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Bulgaria and Romania joined on 1 January 2025. Ireland has an opt-out, and Cyprus is not yet fully inside.
- Geographic Europe: 44 to 46, depending on Cyprus and Kosovo.
If a travel rule or a visa question is behind your search, check which of these groups the rule is about. "In Europe," "in the EU" and "in Schengen" are three different lists. Belarus, Ukraine, Albania and the United Kingdom, for example, are in Europe but in neither the EU nor Schengen.
Which number should I use for my own count?
For a personal travel count, the best answer is the one you can explain in a sentence. Pick one of these and stay with it:
- 44, the UN list. Strict, official, easy to defend.
- 45, UN list plus Cyprus. What most Europeans would expect, because Cyprus is in the EU.
- 46, plus Kosovo. The most inclusive "everyone I'd call a country in Europe" count.
The choice matters less than being consistent. If you also have to decide what counts as having been somewhere, see our guide on what counts as visiting a country. A short layover in Frankfurt and a week in Lisbon are very different things.
Tripfolio's map has 53 entries in Europe. 45 are sovereign countries, which is the UN 44 plus Cyprus. The other 8 are territories and a disputed place: the Åland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, and Kosovo. You can mark any of them. Only the 195 sovereign countries count toward the world total, which we explain in how many countries there are in the world.
The most visited European countries to start with
You don't need all 44 to make a good map. If you're planning where to go next, these pages show what each country has and who has been there:
Small states are the quickest way to grow your count. Andorra, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican can each be reached from a neighboring country in a day.
How to track your European countries on a map
A list in your notes app works for a while. A map works better, because you see the gaps: the Balkans you drove past, the Baltics you keep postponing, the Nordic country you flew over.
On Tripfolio you tap each country on the world map and mark it as Visited or Want to visit. Visited countries turn green and your wishlist turns orange. The counter shows your total out of 195 and your continents out of 7, so Europe is one slice of a bigger picture. It's free and runs in the browser on your phone, no app to install.
You can try it without signing up on the countries visited map. Tap the countries you've been to, and share the card if you like the result.
Start your Europe map
Tap the European countries you've visited, see your percentage of the world and find out how many are left: color in your map for free.
FAQ
How many countries are in Europe?
Most sources say 44 sovereign states, based on the UN geoscheme. Add Cyprus for 45 and Kosovo for 46. Lists that include Türkiye, the Caucasus countries or Kazakhstan reach about 50.
Is Türkiye in Europe or Asia?
Türkiye spans both continents, with a small part around Istanbul in Europe. The UN geoscheme lists it under Western Asia, and so does Tripfolio's map.
Is Russia counted as a European country?
Yes, in almost every list. The UN places Russia in Eastern Europe, even though most of its land area lies in Asia.
How many European countries are in the EU?
Twenty-seven countries are EU members. That leaves roughly 17 European states outside it, including Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Serbia.
Is Kosovo a country?
Many countries recognize it, but it isn't a UN member and Serbia does not recognize it. Tripfolio shows it on the map as a territory, so it doesn't count toward the 195.