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Europe Explained: understand Europe and the European Union

The European Union: from 6 to 27 members

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Map of Europe: member states on 31 December 2026.
MemberJoined this yearFormer memberNot a member

2026

27 member states

European Union

Last change: 2020

Number of member states per year, 1958 to 2026.01020301960197019801990200020102020

Key figures

As of 1 November 2026

  1. Member states

    European Union · EU

    27

  2. EU population

    on 1 January 2026, provisional · Eurostat

    452.0M

  3. Euro area

    countries, incl. Bulgaria since 2026 · ECB

    21

  4. Schengen

    countries, 4 outside the EU · Commission

    29

  5. Candidate countries

    9 candidates + Kosovo, potential candidate · EU

    9 + 1

  6. Last enlargement

    Croatia, 1 July 2013 · EU

    2013

Explore the countries

Directory of 50 countries →

Europe is not the European Union: 27 states are EU members, around fifty countries are European. This site covers all of them.

EU member states27

Candidates (9) and potential candidate (1)

Other European countries13

Understand Europe

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Europe is not the EU

The European Union, the Schengen Area, the euro area and the European Economic Area do not contain the same countries. Here is who belongs to what.

European countries50
covered by this site
European Union27
member states
European Economic Area30
EU + Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
Schengen29
incl. 4 outside the EU; not Cyprus or Ireland
Euro21+6
euro area, + 6 users outside it
Candidates9+1
+ Kosovo, potential candidate
Each square is a country, in the same order on every row: 27 EU members (by accession date), then the 4 EFTA countries, 9 candidates and Kosovo, and 9 other countries.
Membership of European countries in the main groupings
GroupingNumber of countriesCountries
European Union27Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia
European Economic Area30Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
Schengen29Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland
Euro21Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia
Candidates9Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine

Coming soon Explainers are written: short answer, explanation, example, sources, date.

Key dates

Interactive timeline →
  1. 1952ECSC Treaty enters into forceTreaty in force
  2. 1958Treaties of Rome enter into forceTreaty in force
  3. 1967Merger Treaty enters into forceTreaty in force
  4. 1973Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom joinEnlargement
  5. 1981Greece joinsEnlargement
  6. 1985Greenland leaves the European CommunitiesWithdrawal
  7. 1986Spain and Portugal joinEnlargement
  8. 1987Single European Act enters into forceTreaty in force
  9. 1993Maastricht Treaty enters into force: the European Union is createdTreaty in force
  10. 1995Austria, Finland and Sweden joinEnlargement
  11. 1995Schengen Convention applied; border controls lifted between first seven statesTreaty in force
  12. 1999Euro introduced in 11 countries (book money)Currency
  13. 1999Treaty of Amsterdam enters into forceTreaty in force
  14. 2002Euro banknotes and coins enter circulationCurrency
  15. 2003Treaty of Nice enters into forceTreaty in force
  16. 2004Ten countries join (largest enlargement)Enlargement
  17. 2007Bulgaria and Romania joinEnlargement
  18. 2009Treaty of Lisbon enters into forceTreaty in force
  19. 2013Croatia joins (most recent enlargement)Enlargement
  20. 2020United Kingdom leaves the EUWithdrawal
  21. 2023Croatia adopts the euro and joins SchengenCurrency
  22. 2026Bulgaria adopts the euro (21st euro area member)Currency
  23. 2026Ukraine and Moldova open first negotiating cluster (fundamentals)Enlargement

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