What Every Country in the European Union is Best At

The European Union has 28 member countries, and much like snowflakes, they’re all special in their own way. Every country excels at something.

Austria: Lowest Unemployment
During 2014, Austria had the lowest unemployment rate at an average of 4.9%.

Belgium: Most Recycling
Belgians ranked best at recycling packaged waste.

Bulgaria: Cheapest Electricity
Bulgaria has the cheapest electricity in Europe. It is the place to be if you never shut off the lights after leaving the room.

Croatia: Least Noisy Housing
Croatians get the most peace and quiet, with only 10% reporting they suffer from hearing noise at home.

Cyprus: Best at Handling Euro Coins and Notes
A whopping 78% of Cypriots said they have no problem distinguishing and handling euro coins, and 91% said they could distinguish and handle euro notes.

Czech Republic: Most Boozed Country
The Czech Republic has the highest per capita beer consumption in the world, at a yearly rate of 148.6 litres.

Denmark: Most Dancing and Singing
35% of Danes report having danced in the past 12 months, and 38% report having sung.

Estonia: Least Wasteful
Belgians might recycle more than anyone else, but the good people of Estonia are the least wasteful.

Finland: Most Tourists
Finland is rightly the tourism capital of Europe. During the past year, 88.5% of Finns have taken an overnight trip for personal tourism.

France: Lowest Obesity Rate
It’s hard to believe a country that was founded on soft cheese, baguettes, and surrendering could have the lowest obesity rates in Europe — but it’s true.

Germany: Happiest with Employment
The most highly populated country in the EU, Germany, still manages to have enough jobs to go around.

Greece: Lowest Rate of Tuberculosis
Greece has a rate of only 5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Hungary: Least Illegal Spending
Everybody pays for things that don’t get taxed sometimes but this happens very little in Hungary.

Ireland: Fewest Divorces
Ireland has the lowest divorce rate and also the highest fertility rate.

Italy: Highest Life Expectancy
The life expectancy for an Italian is 82.03 years.

Latvia: Giving Gifts to Public Officials
67% of Latvians figure, “Why wait for Christmas or a birthday — public officials deserve recognition year-round!” Here, public officials are given gifts even if they fix only a pot hole.

Lithuania: Most Secondary School Graduates
93.4% of Lithuanians complete secondary school.

Luxembourg: Highest Foreign Language Proficiency
The average student in Luxembourg learns 2.5 foreign languages in school. By adulthood, 61% of the population can speak three different foreign languages at a conversational level.

Malta: Most Optimistic About Future
Maltese are the people who always remain optimistic about future.

Netherlands: Most People Who’ve Quit Smoking
Smoking is a gigantic public health problem in Europe, but fortunately, 30% of the Dutch have already quit smoking.

Poland: Biggest Producer of Apples
Poland produces more than 3 million tonnes of apples per year.

Portugal: Highest Cork Production
Nearly half of the world’s cork supply comes from Portugal (about 49.6%).

Romania: Lowest Cocaine Use
Romanians are not very interested in using cocaine.

Slovakia: Most Work Experience with Robots
More Slovakians reported having experience of working with a robot either at home or at school.

Slovenia: Fewest Teen Moms
Slovenia has the lowest incidence of teen moms.

Spain: Most Popular Erasmus Destination
What are most people looking for when they study abroad? Warm weather, nice beaches, and an excellent cuisine. Spain checks all the boxes.

Sweden: Most Internet Users
94.8% of Swedes have Internet access.

UK: Lowest Homicide Rate
The UK actually has the lowest homicide rate at only 0.3 per 100,000 inhabitants.