Europe

  1. Europe

    Rubio Denies Pause in U.S. Intelligence Sharing With Ukraine

    Secondary sources:12
Population
743M
Nominal GDP
$29.9T
Countries
44

Latest available observations; nominal GDP is in current US dollars. Sources checked August 24, 2026.

Sources:123

Economic engine

27states in the European Union
  1. National economies
  2. EU single market
  3. Common rules + trade policy
  • Energy resetLNG · renewables · nuclear
  • Older societiesPensions and workforces under pressure
  • CompetitionHigh costs versus the US and China
Sources:1

Power & institutions

1989–91the Cold War division of Europe ended
European Union
  • EU lawPrimacy in treaty-covered fields
  • EuroShared by most members
  • SchengenPassport-free travel for most
  • EnlargementEast + south drawn toward common standards
Sources:123

Pressure points

2022Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine
  • War in UkraineThe era's defining rupture
  • SanctionsSweeping measures against Moscow
  • NATO expansionFinland + Sweden joined
  • RearmamentDefense spending rose across Europe
Sources:123

Countries at a glance

Open a country for its capital, population, GDP, and key facts.

Western Europe

11

The EU's founding core and the continent's economic heavyweights, alongside the post-Brexit United Kingdom and non-member Switzerland.

Sources:123

Northern Europe

8

Five prosperous Nordic states, all now NATO members after Finland (2023) and Sweden (2024) ended decades of military non-alignment.

Sources:12

Southern Europe

15

The EU's Mediterranean rim: founding member Italy and the post-dictatorship democracies Spain, Portugal, and Greece, all inside the euro area.

Sources:1

Central & Eastern Europe

6

Former Eastern Bloc states that joined NATO between 1999 and 2004 and the EU in 2004–07, and now form the alliance's eastern flank.

Sources:12

Russia & the Eastern Neighbours

4

The post-Soviet east — Russia and its neighbours Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova — where the continent's active war and its unresolved conflicts are concentrated.

Sources:12

Key institutions

European Union (EU)

A political and economic union of 27 member states that pools sovereignty through a single market, a customs union, and binding common legislation adopted by shared institutions; most members also use the euro and participate in the border-free Schengen area.

Sources:1

NATO

A transatlantic military alliance of 32 members built on the Article 5 collective-defence guarantee; it has anchored Western security since 1949 and expanded eastward after the Cold War, adding Finland in 2023 and Sweden in 2024.

Sources:1

Council of Europe

A 46-member human-rights organization, separate from the EU, whose European Convention on Human Rights is enforced by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg; Russia was expelled in 2022 over its invasion of Ukraine.

Sources:12

European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

A four-member free-trade grouping — Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland — for European states outside the EU; all but Switzerland join the EU single market through the European Economic Area.

Sources:1

OSCE

A 57-state security forum spanning Europe, North America, and Central Asia that works on arms control, election observation, and conflict prevention; it is the world's largest regional security organization.

Sources:1

Something went wrong

We couldn't complete that action. Check your connection and try again.