ESC Countries
The European Broadcasting Area (EBA), shown in red
List of countries in the Eurovision Song Contest. Broadcasters from fifty-two countries have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since it started in 1956, with winning songs coming from twenty-seven of those countries. The contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), is held annually between members of the union who participate representing their countries. Broadcasters submit songs to the event where they are performed live by the performer(s) they had selected and cast votes to determine the winning song of the competition.
Participation in the contest is primarily open to all broadcasters with active EBU membership, with only one entrant per country allowed in any given year. To become an active member of the EBU, a broadcaster has to be from a country which is covered by the European Broadcasting Area – that is not limited only to the continent of Europe–, or is a member state of the Council of Europe. Thus, eligibility is not determined by geographic inclusion within Europe, despite the “Euro” in “Eurovision”, nor does it have a direct connection with the European Union. Several countries geographically outside the boundaries of Europe have been represented in the contest: Israel, Cyprus, and Armenia, in Western Asia, since 1973, 1981, and 2006 respectively; Morocco, in North Africa, in the 1980 competition alone; and Australia making a debut in the 2015 contest. In addition, several transcontinental countries with only part of their territory in Europe have been represented: Turkey, from 1975 to 2012; Russia, from 1994 to 2021; Georgia, since 2007; and Azerbaijan, since 2008. Two of the countries that have previously sought to enter the competition, Lebanon and Tunisia, in Western Asia and North Africa respectively, are also outside of Europe. A broadcaster from the Persian Gulf state of Qatar, in Western Asia, announced in 2009 its interest in joining the contest in time for the 2011 edition. However, this did not materialise, and there are no known plans for a future Qatari entry. Australia, where the contest has been broadcast since the 1970s, has been represented every year since its debut in 2015, as its broadcaster is an EBU associate member and had received special approval from the contest’s Reference Group.
The number of countries represented each year has grown steadily, from seven in 1956 to over twenty in the late 1980s. A record forty-three countries participated in 2008, 2011, and 2018. As the number of contestants has risen, preliminary competitions and relegation have been introduced, to ensure that as many countries as possible get the chance to compete. In 1993, a preliminary show, Kvalifikacija za Millstreet (“Qualification for Millstreet”), was held to select three Eastern European countries to compete for the first time in the main contest. After the 1993 contest, a relegation rule was introduced: the six lowest-placed countries in the contest would not compete in the following year. In 1996, a new system was introduced. Audiotapes of all twenty-nine entrants were submitted to national juries. The twenty-two highest-placed songs after the juries voted reached the contest. Norway, as the host country, directly qualified for the final. From 1997 to 2001, a system was used whereby the countries with the lowest average scores over the previous five years were relegated. Countries could not be relegated for more than one year at a time.
The relegation system used in 1994 and 1995 was used again between 2001 and 2003. Since 1999, the winning country in the previous year’s contest automatically qualifies for the following year’s final, along with the “Big Four/Five” — those countries whose broadcasters are the largest financial contributors to the EBU.[a] In 2004, a semi-final was introduced. In addition to the Big Four, the countries that were in the top 10 the previous year received a bye and qualified directly for the final. A further ten countries qualified from the semi-final, making a total of 24 in the final. Since 2008, two semi-finals are held with all countries, except the previous year’s winner and the “Big Four/Five”, participating in one of the semi-finals.
Some countries, such as Germany, France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, have entered most years, while Morocco has only entered once. Two countries, Tunisia and Lebanon, have attempted to enter the contest but withdrew before making a debut.
Fifty-two countries have participated at least once. These are listed here alongside the year in which they made their debut:
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Country making its debut entry
- i^ Represented West Germany until 1990; East Germany never competed. Presented on all occasions as ‘Germany’, except in 1967 as ‘Federal Republic of Germany’, in 1970 and 1976 as ‘West Germany’, and in 1990 as ‘F.R. Germany’.
- ii^ Represented the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until 1991, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992.
- iii^ Presented as the ‘Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’ before 2019.
- iv^ Presented as ‘Czech Republic’ before 2023.
- v^ Represented by an EBU associate member broadcaster; initially announced as a one-off participant to commemorate the contest’s 60th anniversary, has subsequently participated every year since.
Participation since 1956: G: Entered at least once, Y: Never entered, although eligible to do so, R: Entry intended, but later withdrew, GL: Competed as a part of another country, but never as a sovereign country
Participants in the Eurovision Song Contest, coloured by decade of debut
Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest:
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INELIGIBLE:
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OTHER COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES:
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