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List of countries in the Eurovision Song Contest

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Map showing debuts in the Contest by decade:
  1950s
  1960s
  1970s
  1980s
  1990s
  2000s
  2010s

1: Participated as part of Yugoslavia between 1961 and 1991
2: Participated as part of Yugoslavia and later Serbia & Montenegro until 2005

Fifty-one countries have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since it started in 1956. Of these, twenty-five have won the Contest. The Contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), is held annually between members of the Union. Broadcasters from different countries submit songs to the event, and cast votes to determine the most popular in the competition.

Participation in the Contest is open to all active member broadcasters of the EBU. To be an active member, broadcasters must be in the European Broadcasting Area, or be in a Council of Europe member country.[1] Eligibility to participate is not determined by geographic inclusion within the continent of 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 competed: Israel, Cyprus and Armenia, in Western Asia, since 1973, 1981 and 2006 respectively; and Morocco, in North Africa, in the 1980 competition alone. In addition, several transcontinental countries with only part of their territory in Europe have competed: Turkey, since 1975; Russia, since 1994; Georgia, since 2007; and Azerbaijan, which made its first appearance in the 2008 edition. 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. The Gulf state of Qatar, in Western Asia, announced in 2009 its interest in joining the Contest in time for the 2011 edition.[2] However, this did not materialise, and there are no known plans for a future Qatari entry the Eurovision Song Contest.

The number of countries participating each year has grown steadily, from seven in 1956 to over twenty in the late 1980s. 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 at the main Contest.[3] After the 1993 Contest, a relegation rule was introduced; the six lowest-placed countries in the Contest would not compete the following year.[4] In 1996, a new system was introduced. Audio tapes of all twenty-nine entrants were submitted to national juries. The twenty-two highest-placed songs after the juries voted reached the Contest itself. Norway, as host country, was given a bye to the final.[5] 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.[6]

Between 2001 and 2003, the relegation system used in 1994 and 1995 was used. In 2004, a semi-final was introduced. The ten highest-placed countries in the previous year's Contest qualified for the final, along with the "Big Four": the largest financial contributors to the EBU. All other countries entered the semi-final. Ten countries qualified from the semi, leaving a final of twenty-four.[7] In 2008, two semi-finals were held with all countries, except the host country and the Big Four, participating in one of the semi-finals.[8]

Some countries, such as Germany and the United Kingdom, have entered on all but a handful of occasions; Morocco, on the other hand, has only entered once. Two countries, Tunisia and Lebanon, have attempted to enter the Contest but withdrew before making a debut. Liechtenstein, a country without an eligible television service, tried unsuccessfully to enter in 1976.[9]

Participants

Dan Ar Braz represented France in 1996, performing in the Breton language.
Jari Sillanpää represented Finland in the first Eurovision semi-final in 2004, failing to qualify.
Magdi Rúzsa, born in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, represented Hungary in 2007.[10]
Lys Assia, the first Eurovision winner, was a special guest in 2008.

The following table lists the countries that have participated in the Contest at least once. Shading indicates countries that have withdrawn from the Contest. Morocco participated in the Contest once, in 1980. Luxembourg, one of the original seven participants, has not been seen at the Contest since 1993. Italy withdrew from the Contest in 1997 and returned in 2011. Slovakia previously competed three times between 1994 and 1998, failing to break into the top ten, but returned in 2009.[11] Monaco returned to the Contest in 2004, after over two decades out of the Contest. However, the country failed to advance from the semi-final with each of its first three entries post-return, and withdrew after the 2006 Contest.[12] Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro were both dissolved, in 1991 and 2006 respectively. Serbia and Montenegro in the attempt to mask as Yugoslavia, participated in the 1992 Contest under its name but representing the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which consisted of only the two republics. Both Montenegro and Serbia have competed as separate countries since 2007.[13] Austria, having returned from a one-year absence, withdrew from the 2008 Contest; Edgar Bohm of ORF said "We've already seen in 2007 that it's not the quality of the song, but the country of origin that determines the result."[14] Austria returned in 2011.

Country Debut year Entries Wins Broadcaster(s)[15]
 Albania
2004
9
0
 RTSH
 Andorra
2004
6
0
 RTVA
 Armenia
2006
6
0
 AMPTV
 Austria
1957
45
1
 ORF
 Azerbaijan
2008
5
1
 İTV
 Belarus
2004
9
0
 BTRC
 Belgium
1956
54
1
 VRT (Dutch)
RTBF (French)[a]
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
1993
18
0
 BHRT
 Bulgaria
2005
8
0
 BNT
 Croatia
1993
20
0
 HRT
 Cyprus
1981
30
0
 CyBC
 Czech Republic
2007
3
0
 ČT
 Denmark
1957
41
2
 DR
 Estonia
1994
18
1
 ETV
 Finland
1961
46
1
 YLE (Finnish)
FST5 (Swedish)
 France
1956
55
5
 TF1 (1956–1981)
France Télévisions (1983–)
 Georgia
2007
5
0
 GPB
 Germany
1956
56
2
 NDR (ARD)
 Greece
1974
33
1
 ERT
 Hungary
1994
10
0
 MTV
 Iceland
1986
25
0
 RÚV
 Ireland
1965
46
7
 RTÉ
 Israel
1973
35
3
 IBA
 Italy
1956
38
2
 RAI
 Latvia
2000
13
1
 LTV
 Lithuania
1994
13
0
 LRT
 Luxembourg
1956
37
5
 CLT
 Macedonia
1998
12
0
 MKRTV
 Malta
1971
25
0
 PBS
 Moldova
2005
8
0
 TRM
 Monaco
1959
24
1
 TMC
 Montenegro
2007
4
0
 RTCG
 Morocco
1980
1
0
 SNRT
 Netherlands
1956
53
4
 NOS (1956-2009)
TROS (2010–)
 Norway
1960
51
3
 NRK
 Poland
1994
16
0
 TVP
 Portugal
1964
46
0
 RTP
 Romania
1994
14
0
 TVR
 Russia
1994
16
1
 RTR, C1R
 San Marino
2008
3
0
 SMRTV
 Serbia
2007
6
1
 RTS
 Serbia and Montenegro
2004
2
0
 UJRT
 Slovakia
1994
7
0
 STV (1994-2010)
RTVS (2011-)
 Slovenia
1993
18
0
 RTV SLO
 Spain
1961
52
2
 TVE
 Sweden
1958
52
5
 SVR (1958)
SR (1959–1979)
SVT (1980–)
  Switzerland
1956
53
2
 SRG SSR
 Turkey
1975
34
1
 TRT
 Ukraine
2003
10
1
 NTU
 United Kingdom
1957
55
5
 BBC
 Yugoslavia
1961
27
1
 JRT[b]

Participating countries in the decades

The table lists the participating countries in each decade since the first ESC was held in 1956.
Seven countries participated in the first Contest, in 1956. Since then, the number of entries has increased steadily. In 1970, a Nordic-led boycott of the Contest reduced the number of countries entering to twelve.[16] By the late 1980s, over twenty countries had become standard. In 1993, the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe gave many new countries the opportunity to compete. Three countries—Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, all of them former Yugoslav republics, won through from a pre-qualifier to compete. After the 1993 event, a relegation system was introduced, allowing even more Eastern European countries to compete: seven more made their debut in 1994. In 2003, three countries applied to make their debut: Albania, Belarus and Ukraine. In addition, Serbia and Montenegro, who had not competed since 1992, applied to return. The EBU, having originally accepted the four countries' applications, later rejected all but Ukraine; allowing four extra countries to compete would have meant relegating too many countries.[17][18] The semi-final was introduced in 2004 in an attempt to prevent situations like this. The Union set a limit of forty countries,[19] but by 2005 thirty-nine were competing. In 2007, the EBU lifted the limit, allowing forty-two countries to compete. Two semi-finals were held for the first time in 2008.[8]

Table key

  Winner - The country won the ESC that year.
  Second place - The country was ranked second that year.
  Third place - The country was ranked third that year.
  Remaining places - The country placed from fourth to second last this year.
  Last - The country was ranked last that year.
  Non-qualified - The country did not qualify to the final (1996, 2004-).
  Undecided - The country has confirmed participation for the next ESC, however, the competition has not yet taken place.
  Debutant - The country made ​​its debut during the decade.
  Did not participate - The country did not participate in the ESC that year.
A cross (X) mean that the country participated in the contest that year.

1950s

Country 1956 1957 1958 1959
 Austria X X X
 Belgium X X X X
 Denmark X X X
 France X X X X
 Italy X X X X
 Luxembourg X X X
 Monaco X
 Netherlands X X X X
  Switzerland X X X X
 Sweden X X
 United Kingdom X X
 West Germany X X X X

1960s

Country 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
 Austria X X X X X X X X X
 Belgium X X X X X X X X X X
 Denmark X X X X X X X
 Finland X X X X X X X X X
 France X X X X X X X X X X
 Ireland X X X X X
 Italy X X X X X X X X X X
 Luxembourg X X X X X X X X X X
 Monaco X X X X X X X X X X
 Netherlands X X X X X X X X X X
 Norway X X X X X X X X X X
 Portugal X X X X X X
 Spain X X X X X X X X X
  Switzerland X X X X X X X X X X
 Sweden X X X X X X X X X
 United Kingdom X X X X X X X X X X
 West Germany X X X X X X X X X X
 Yugoslavia X X X X X X X X X

1970s

Country 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
 Austria X X X X X X
 Belgium X X X X X X X X X X
 Denmark X X
 Finland X X X X X X X X X
 France X X X X X X X X X
 Greece X X X X X
 Ireland X X X X X X X X X X
 Israel X X X X X X X
 Italy X X X X X X X X X X
 Luxembourg X X X X X X X X X X
 Malta X X X
 Monaco X X X X X X X X X X
 Netherlands X X X X X X X X X X
 Norway X X X X X X X X X
 Portugal X X X X X X X X X
 Spain X X X X X X X X X X
  Switzerland X X X X X X X X X X
 Sweden X X X X X X X X
 Turkey X X X
 United Kingdom X X X X X X X X X X
 West Germany X X X X X X X X X X
 Yugoslavia X X X X X X X

1980s

Country 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
 Austria X X X X X X X X X X
 Belgium X X X X X X X X X X
 Cyprus X X X X X X X X
 Denmark X X X X X X X X X X
 Finland X X X X X X X X X X
 France X X X X X X X X X
 Greece X X X X X X X
 Iceland X X X X
 Ireland X X X X X X X X X
 Israel X X X X X X X X
 Italy X X X X X X X
 Luxembourg X X X X X X X X X X
 Morocco X
 Netherlands X X X X X X X X X
 Norway X X X X X X X X X X
 Portugal X X X X X X X X X X
 Spain X X X X X X X X X X
  Switzerland X X X X X X X X X X
 Sweden X X X X X X X X X X
 Turkey X X X X X X X X X X
 United Kingdom X X X X X X X X X X
 West Germany X X X X X X X X X X
 Yugoslavia X X X X X X X X

1990s

Country 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
 Austria X X X X X X X X X
 Belgium X X X X X X X X
 Bosnia and Herzegovina X X X X X X
 Croatia X X X X X X X
 Cyprus X X X X X X X X X X
 Denmark X X X X X X X X
 Estonia X X X X X
 Finland X X X X X X X
 France X X X X X X X X X X
 Germany X X X X X X X
 Greece X X X X X X X X X
 Hungary X X X X X
 Iceland X X X X X X X X X
 Ireland X X X X X X X X X X
 Israel X X X X X X X X
 Italy X X X X X
 Lithuania X X
 Luxembourg X X X X X
 Macedonia X X
 Malta X X X X X X X X X
 Netherlands X X X X X X X X
 Norway X X X X X X X X X X
 Poland X X X X X X
 Portugal X X X X X X X X X X
 Romania X X X
 Russia X X X X
 Slovakia X X X
 Slovenia X X X X X X
 Spain X X X X X X X X X X
 Sweden X X X X X X X X X X
  Switzerland X X X X X X X X
 Turkey X X X X X X X X X
 United Kingdom X X X X X X X X X X
 West Germany X X X
 Yugoslavia X X

2000s

Country 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
 Albania X X X X X X
 Andorra X X X X X X
 Armenia X X X X
 Austria X X X X X X
 Azerbaijan X X
 Belarus X X X X X X
 Belgium X X X X X X X X X
 Bosnia and Herzegovina X X X X X X X X X
 Bulgaria X X X X X
 Croatia X X X X X X X X X X
 Cyprus X X X X X X X X X
 Czech Republic X X X
 Denmark X X X X X X X X X
 Estonia X X X X X X X X X X
 Finland X X X X X X X X
 France X X X X X X X X X X
 Georgia X X
 Germany X X X X X X X X X X
 Greece X X X X X X X X X
 Hungary X X X X
 Iceland X X X X X X X X X
 Ireland X X X X X X X X X
 Israel X X X X X X X X X X
 Latvia X X X X X X X X X X
 Lithuania X X X X X X X X X
 Macedonia X X X X X X X X
 Malta X X X X X X X X X X
 Moldova X X X X X
 Monaco X X X
 Montenegro X X X
 Netherlands X X X X X X X X X
 Norway X X X X X X X X X
 Poland X X X X X X X X
 Portugal X X X X X X X X
 Romania X X X X X X X X X X
 Russia X X X X X X X X X X
 San Marino X
 Serbia X X X
 Serbia and Montenegro X X
 Slovakia X
 Slovenia X X X X X X X X
 Spain X X X X X X X X X X
 Sweden X X X X X X X X X X
  Switzerland X X X X X X X X
 Turkey X X X X X X X X X X
 Ukraine X X X X X X X
 United Kingdom X X X X X X X X X X

2010s

Country 2010 2011 2012
 Albania X X X
 Armenia X X
 Austria X X
 Azerbaijan X X X
 Belarus X X X
 Belgium X X X
 Bosnia and Herzegovina X X X
 Bulgaria X X X
 Croatia X X X
 Cyprus X X X
 Denmark X X X
 Estonia X X X
 Finland X X X
 France X X X
 Georgia X X X
 Germany X X X
 Greece X X X
 Hungary X X
 Iceland X X X
 Ireland X X X
 Israel X X X
 Italy X X
 Latvia X X X
 Lithuania X X X
 Macedonia X X X
 Malta X X X
 Moldova X X X
 Montenegro X
 Netherlands X X X
 Norway X X X
 Poland X X
 Portugal X X X
 Romania X X X
 Russia X X X
 San Marino X X
 Serbia X X X
 Slovakia X X X
 Slovenia X X X
 Spain X X X
 Sweden X X X
  Switzerland X X X
 Turkey X X X
 Ukraine X X X
 United Kingdom X X X

Unsuccessful attempts to participate

Main article: Unsuccessful attempts to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest

To participate in the Contest, a broadcaster must register their intention to compete before the deadline specified in the rules of that year's event. Each participating broadcaster pays a fee towards the organisation of the Contest. Should a country withdraw from the Contest after the deadline, they will still need to pay these fees, and may also incur a fine or temporary ban.[20]

Country Year Broadcaster Notes Ref
 Liechtenstein 1976, 2011 1FLTV (pending) Liechtenstein did not have an EBU-member broadcaster and was therefore ineligible to enter the Contest. However, Liechtenstein now has a broadcaster, which would allow it become an EBU member should it so wish.
[9][21]
 Tunisia 1977 ERTT Tunisia was to perform fourth in the 1977 Contest's running order. The reason for the country's withdrawal was never officially established; rumours suggest ERTT did not want to compete with Israel.
[9][22]
 Soviet Union 1987 CT USSR in 1987 George Veselov, the Minister of Education for the Soviet Union, brought forward the idea of a participation of the Soviet Union at the Eurovision Song Contest due to the number of political reforms made by the President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev during the late 1980s. The idea was mainly a political one, with the thought that a win in the contest for the Soviet Union would impact on the relationships between the Soviet Union and the capitalist countries of the west. Valery Leontyev was suggested as a name for the Soviet Union's first participation, however Veselov's ideas were not shared by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, or by Gorbachev himself, believing it to be too radical a step to take, and so no Soviet participation was ever made.
[23]
 Lebanon 2005 Télé Liban Lebanon withdrew from the 2005 Contest because Télé Liban could not guarantee that they would broadcast the Israeli entry, after the EBU had sought assurances that they would show the Contest in full. This would have violated the Contest's rules.
[24][25][26]
 Kosovo 2009 RTK (pending) After declaring independence, Kosovo sought to enter the 2009 contest, but as Radio Television of Kosovo was not a member of the EBU, it could not participate.
[27][28]
 Scotland 2009 BBC Scotland or STV The Scottish National Party (SNP) has campaigned for a place in Eurovision for Scotland but had been rejected numerous times owing to the fact that Scotland is represented as a part of the British entry and is represented by the BBC. On 11 February 2008 the EBU stated that a Scottish broadcaster could apply for EBU membership, but under the current rules could not enter the Eurovision Song Contest as the BBC currently has exclusive rights to represent the entire United Kingdom. However, they would be eligible to enter the contest should Scotland gain independence as a result of the Scottish Independence Referendum, as Scotland would therefore be a separate country.
[29]
 Qatar 2009 Qatar Radio (pending) Recently shown interest at Eurovision 2009, by sending delegates in the hope of applying for active membership.
[29]

Other EBU members who can participate but have never entered

See also

Notes

  1. ^ VRT and RTBF alternate responsibilities for the Contest.
  2. ^ The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia competed as "Yugoslavia" in 1992.[30]

References

  1. ^ European Broadcasting Union (22 February 2006). Membership conditions. Retrieved on 2 February 2008.
  2. ^ Repo, Juha (2009-05-12). "Gulf nation wants to join Eurovision". ESCToday. Retrieved 2009-05-12. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ ESCtoday.com. Eurovision Song Contest 1993. Retrieved on 2 February 2008.
  4. ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy (2005). The Eurovision Song Contest 50 Years The Official History. London: Carlton Books Limited. ISBN 1-84442-586-X.
  5. ^ ESCtoday.com. Eurovision Song Contest 1996. Retrieved on 2 February 2008.
  6. ^ Eurovision.tv. Eurovision Song Contest 1997. Retrieved on 2 February 2008.
  7. ^ BBC News (12 May 2004). Eurovision finalists chosen. Retrieved on 2 February 2008.
  8. ^ a b European Broadcasting Union (1 October 2007). Two semi-finals Eurovision Song Contest 2008. Retrieved on 2 February 2008.
  9. ^ a b c BBC (26 April 2007). The Eurovision Song Contest 1956 - present. Retrieved on 2 February 2008.
  10. ^ ESCtoday.com (26 February 2007). Rúsza wins by just 18 votes. Retrieved on 9 February 2008.
  11. ^ Victor Hondal (24 September 2008. Slovakia returns to Eurovision in 2009. ESCtoday.com. Retrieved on 24 September 2008.
  12. ^ Gylleneskor.se (13 December 2006). Monaco drag sig ur Eurovision Song Contest Template:Sv icon. Retrieved on 9 February 2008.
  13. ^ Ian Taylor (14 May 2007). From pariah state to kitsch victory: how a Balkan ballad showed Europe a new Serbia. The Guardian. Retrieved on 9 February 2008.
  14. ^ ESCtoday.com (20 November 2007). Austria will not go to Belgrade. Retrieved on 9 February 2008.
  15. ^ Eurovision.tv. History by country. Retrieved on 10 February 2008.
  16. ^ Eurovision.tv. Eurovision Song Contest 1970. Retrieved on 9 February 2008.
  17. ^ ESCtoday.com (27 November 2002). No new countries at next Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved on 11 February 2008.
  18. ^ ESCtoday.com (27 November 2002). EBU released list of participants for 2003. Retrieved on 11 February 2008.
  19. ^ Eurovision.tv (27 October 2006). Georgia set on 2007. Retrieved on 11 February 2008.
  20. ^ BBC News (20 March 2006). Row prompts Eurovision withdrawal. Retrieved on 14 February 2008.
  21. ^ Kuipers, Michael (24 August 2008). Liechtenstein gets its own TV station. Retrieved on 24 August 2008.
  22. ^ Eurovision.tv. Eurovision Song Contest 1977. Retrieved on 2 February 2008.
  23. ^ Невероятно! Леонтьев должен был представлять СССР на Евровидение-87[1]. Retrieved on 2 February 2008
  24. ^ BBC News (18 March 2005). Lebanon withdraws from Eurovision. Retrieved on 2 February 2008.
  25. ^ Guardian Unlimited (19 May 2005). European unison. Retrieved on 13 February 2008.
  26. ^ Al Bawaba (29 March 2005). Lebanon officially withdraws from Eurovision. Retrieved on 13 February 2008.
  27. ^ "Kosovo: RTK wants to enter Eurovision in 2009". Oikotimes. Retrieved 2008-05-22. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ "NDR on the Kosovo potential participation in Eurovision" Oikotimes 22 May 2008 Link accessed 27/05/08
  29. ^ a b "Scotland heading for 2009 bid?". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 2008-02-12. Cite error: The named reference "Scotland 2009 bid" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  30. ^ Doteurovision.com (22 February 2004). Željko Joksimovic wins Evropesma. Retrieved on 10 February 2008.

Bibliography

  • O'Connor, John Kennedy (2005). The Eurovision Song Contest 50 Years The Official History. London: Carlton Books Limited. ISBN 1-84442-586-X.

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