Six Years of Different Winners
Years Taken to First Win Eurovision Song Contest
Still Waiting For A First Win
Years Since Last Win
Years Between Wins
How Many Wins?
Six Years of Different Winners
Firstly, it's interesting to see that since 2017, a different country has won each year.2017 Portugal (1st)
2018 Israel (4th)
2019 Netherlands (5th)
2020 Contest cancelled - no result
2021 Italy (3rd)
2022 Ukraine (3rd)
2023 Sweden (7th)
Figures in brackets indicate the cumulative win for that country, e.g. in 2023 Sweden won for the seventh time.
This means that, from 2017 to 2023 inclusive, there has been a six-year run of different winners (seven if you include 2020 in the count). How much longer will this trend of a different winner each year continue?
The record for the longest run of a different winner each year currently stands at 16 years (1996 to 2011 inclusive), as shown in the list below. Notice also there was an eight-year run of first-time winners from 2001 to 2008 inclusive during that time.
1996 Ireland (7th)
1997 United Kingdom (5th)
1998 Israel (3rd)
1999 Sweden (4th)
2000 Denmark (2nd)
2001 Estonia (1st)
2002 Latvia (1st)
2003 Turkey (1st)
2004 Ukraine (1st)
2005 Greece (1st)
2006 Finland (1st)
2007 Serbia (1st)
2008 Russia (1st)
2009 Norway (3rd)
2010 Germany (2nd)
2011 Azerbaijan (1st)
It will now take 10 years of different winners not in the 2017 to 2023 run to bring the current run back to 16 years of different winners (2017 to 2033), plus another year (2034) to beat it (both of these could be reduced by one if 2020 is included in the count). As you will see, in the next few sections, that could well happen.
Can the eight-year run of first-time winners be beaten? It can, although it will take until at least 2032 to happen. Further interesting trivia follows in the next few sections.
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Years Taken to First Win Eurovision Song Contest
Here are all the 27 countries that have won the Eurovision Song Contest at least once each. Notice the number of years from first ever entry to first win varies considerably. Portugal currently holds the record for longest wait for a first win: 53 years. That is, it first won in 2017, 53 years after its first ever song in 1964. Serbia currently holds the record for shortest wait for a first win (see footnote for more though).|
Country |
First Entry |
First Win |
Years After First Entry |
|
Portugal |
1964 |
2017 |
53 |
|
Finland |
1961 |
2006 |
45 |
|
Greece |
1974 |
2005 |
31 |
|
Belgium |
1956 |
1986 |
30 |
|
Yugoslavia |
1961 |
1989 |
28 |
|
Turkey |
1975 |
2003 |
28 |
|
Germany |
1956 |
1982 |
26 |
|
Norway |
1960 |
1985 |
25 |
|
Sweden |
1958 |
1974 |
16 |
|
Russia |
1994 |
2008 |
14 |
|
Monaco |
1959 |
1971 |
12 |
|
United Kingdom |
1957 |
1967 |
10 |
|
Austria |
1957 |
1966 |
9 |
|
Italy |
1956 |
1964 |
8 |
|
Spain |
1961 |
1968 |
7 |
|
Estonia |
1994 |
2001 |
7 |
|
Denmark |
1957 |
1963 |
6 |
|
Luxembourg |
1956 |
1961 |
5 |
|
Ireland |
1965 |
1970 |
5 |
|
Israel |
1973 |
1978 |
5 |
|
Azerbaijan |
2008 |
2011 |
3 |
|
France |
1956 |
1958 |
2 |
|
Latvia |
2000 |
2002 |
2 |
|
Netherlands |
1956 |
1957 |
1 |
|
Ukraine |
2003 |
2004 |
1 |
|
Switzerland |
1956 |
1956 |
0 |
|
Serbia |
2007 |
2007 |
0 |
The debut Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 was the only year each country was able to enter two songs. Switzerland's second song of the night “Refrain” won the 1956 Contest, therefore its first ever song “Das Alte Karussell” did not win. Consequently, from 1956 to 2006, no country won with its first ever song. Serbia thus became the first country to win with its first ever song (as an independent nation), which is why it effectively had a shorter wait for its first win than Switzerland. It could be argued that Serbia previously participated as part of Serbia and Montenegro (2004), and part of Yugoslavia (1974, 1982, 1991, 1992). However, on those occasions, the songs represented the whole of Serbia and Montenegro / Yugoslavia, not just Serbia itself. 2007 was the first year that Serbia's song just represented Serbia.
If Liechtenstein enters in the future, and wins with its first ever song, it could be said to have had an even shorter wait for a first win having not previously entered as part of a larger country which no longer exists.
It's worth bearing in mind that the above table ignores the fact that some countries missed a few years in their participation history. For example, Portugal first won in 2017, 53 years after its first entry in 1964. However, it missed the Contests of 1970, 2000, 2002, 2013 and 2016. Finland first won in 2006, 45 years after its first entry in 1961. However, it missed the Contests of 1970, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003.
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Still Waiting For A First Win
Now for the countries which have yet to achieve their first win. Malta is currently the country with the most years since its debut entry in 1971 (52 years) that hasn't won yet.N.B. Each country's debut year is shown after its name. Estonia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia entered the 1993 qualifying round Kvalifikacija za Millstreet in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 3 April 1993, but didn't qualify for the Eurovision Song Contest 1993, and thus their debut year is officially recognised as 1994. North Macedonia entered the audio qualifier for the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, but failed to qualify, and thus its debut year is officially recognised as 1998. However, since the advent of semi-finals in 2004, the debut year is the year a country first appeared in the semi-final, whether or not it qualified to that year’s final.
Long Time Runners (pre-2000)
|
Country |
First Entry |
Years Since First Entry |
|
Malta |
1971 |
52 |
|
Morocco |
1980 |
43 |
|
Cyprus |
1981 |
42 |
|
Iceland |
1986 |
37 |
|
Slovenia |
1993 |
30 |
|
Bosnia & Herzegovina |
1993 |
30 |
|
Croatia |
1993 |
30 |
|
Romania |
1994 |
29 |
|
Slovakia |
1994 |
29 |
|
Lithuania |
1994 |
29 |
|
Hungary |
1994 |
29 |
|
Poland |
1994 |
29 |
|
North Macedonia |
1998 |
25 |
That's 13 countries altogether. One significant subset is the seven which debuted in 1994; of those Estonia won in 2001 and Russia won in 2008, therefore 5 of the 7 countries which first entered in 1994 have yet to achieve their first win. Another interesting group is the three ex-Yugoslav countries which first entered independently in 1993; 30 years on and none of those three have won yet. If one of each of the above countries wins every year, it will take 13 years for them all to win once (if Morocco ever makes a comeback).
It's worth noting that the above table ignores the fact that all the above countries missed one or more years in their participation history; in fact, some have had quite lengthy absences. For example, Malta's debut entry was in 1971 (52 years ago), but Malta was absent in 1973 and 1974, and again from 1976 to 1990 inclusive; hence Malta has had 36 entries to-date (including 2020). On the other hand, Cyprus debuted in 1981 (42 years ago), but has only missed three contests (1988, 2001, 2014) and thus it has had 40 entries to-date (including 2020), which is more than Malta. Therefore, the country with the most entries to-date and no wins is currently Cyprus, not Malta.
Will Morocco ever return to the Eurovision Song Contest? It seems highly unlikely, but never say "never". If it enters, reaches the final and wins next year, it will have had the third longest wait for a first win: 44 years (1980 - 2024). However, it will also have the longest gap between entries: 44 years. Bizarrely though, it will have won on only its second attempt (just like Ukraine in 2004)!
21st Century Newcomers (2004 onwards)
Since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, 14 new countries have entered the Eurovision Song Contest. The most recent newcomer, Australia, was originally intended to be a one-off guest participant for the 60th Contest in 2015, but was allowed to enter again in 2016, 2017 and 2018. In February 2019, it was announced that Australia's right to take part was guaranteed until 2023, but in the immediate aftermath of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Australia's future right to participate is now uncertain again. That aside, the most recent countries eligible for indefinite participation are Azerbaijan and San Marino, both of which first entered in 2008. Of the 14 which debuted since 2004, Serbia won in 2007 (the very first time it entered as Serbia) and Azerbaijan won in 2011 (3 years after first entering in 2008). The other 12 countries from this group are still waiting for their first win:|
Country |
First Entry |
Years Since First Entry |
|
Belarus |
2004 |
19 |
|
Andorra[1] |
2004 |
19 |
|
Albania |
2004 |
19 |
|
Serbia & Montenegro[2] |
2004 |
19 |
|
Moldova |
2005 |
18 |
|
Bulgaria |
2005 |
18 |
|
Armenia |
2006 |
17 |
|
Georgia |
2007 |
16 |
|
Montenegro |
2007 |
16 |
|
Czechia |
2007 |
16 |
|
San Marino |
2008 |
15 |
|
Australia[3] |
2015 |
8 |
[1] Never qualified to the final.
[2] No longer exists as a joint country; Montenegro and Serbia have entered separately since 2007.
[3] Previously guaranteed right to participate until 2023; future participation now uncertain.
How long will it be before any of the countries in this group have their first win? Serbia & Montenegro no longer exists as a joint country, so that leaves 11 countries in this group, and thus it will take at least 11 years for them to win once each. Once again, this table ignores the fact many of the above countries have missed one or more years in their participation history.
Taking the two groups together, that's 24 countries still waiting for their first ever win. So, it's quite possible for the eight-year run of first-time winners (2001 to 2008) to be beaten (2024 to 2031 and beyond). Furthermore, first time wins for each of these countries during forthcoming years will continue the trend of a different winner each year since 2017.
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Years Since Last Win
Distant Past Winners (pre-2010)
By this I mean countries which last won before 2010. Altogether, I've found 17 countries that last won in 2009 or earlier. Note that one of them Yugoslavia no longer exists, so that leaves 16 countries in this group still waiting to win again.|
Country |
Last Win |
Years Since Last Win |
|
Spain |
1969 |
54 |
|
Monaco |
1971 |
52 |
|
France |
1977 |
46 |
|
Luxembourg |
1983 |
40 |
|
Belgium |
1986 |
37 |
|
Switzerland |
1988 |
35 |
|
Yugoslavia[4] |
1989 |
34 |
|
Ireland |
1996 |
27 |
|
United Kingdom |
1997 |
26 |
|
Estonia |
2001 |
22 |
|
Latvia |
2002 |
21 |
|
Turkey |
2003 |
20 |
|
Greece |
2005 |
18 |
|
Finland |
2006 |
17 |
|
Serbia |
2007 |
16 |
|
Russia |
2008 |
15 |
|
Norway |
2009 |
14 |
Monaco was absent from Eurovision from 1980 to 2003 inclusive. 2004 to 2006 inclusive it entered but failed to qualify from the semi-final (during that period, there was only one semi-final). Since 2007 it has been absent again. Will it return in 2024, and if so, will it qualify to the final for the first time since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004? If it returns, reaches the final and wins, it will have had 53 years’ gap between wins (1971 to 2024).
Luxembourg last entered in 1993, but has announced that it intends to return in 2024. If it reaches the final and wins next year, it will have had 41 years gap between wins (1983 - 2024).
If any one of the above countries wins next year, it will extend the current run of a different country winning each year by one year, i.e. 2017 to 2024 inclusive.
Recent Winners (2010 onwards)
Now for the countries whose last win was in 2010 or later. Sweden has won three times since then (2012, 2015 and 2023), and Ukraine has won twice since then (2016 and 2022), but only their most recent wins are shown here. Although I've described this group as "recent" winners, it's already quite a long time since some of them last won; 10 years plus in the case of Denmark, Azerbaijan and Germany.|
Country |
Last Win |
Years Since Last Win |
|
Germany |
2010 |
13 |
|
Azerbaijan |
2011 |
12 |
|
Denmark |
2013 |
10 |
|
Austria |
2014 |
9 |
|
Portugal |
2017 |
6 |
|
Israel |
2018 |
5 |
|
Netherlands |
2019 |
4 |
|
Italy |
2021 |
2 |
|
Ukraine |
2022 |
1 |
|
Sweden |
2023 |
0 |
If any country which won between 2010 and 2014 inclusive wins next year, it will extend the current run of a different country winning each year by one year, i.e. 2017 to 2024 inclusive. With 4 countries in the 2010 to 2014 year range, plus another 16 countries which haven't won for at least 14 years (2009 or earlier), plus 24 countries still awaiting their first win, the current trend of a different winner each year (since 2017) is likely to continue for several years to come.
If Portugal wins next year, the run of a different winning country each year will remain the same as now, 6 years (7 years if 2020 is included); 2018 to 2024.
If Israel, the Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine or Sweden win next year, the run of different winning countries each year will be reduced accordingly. For example, if Israel wins next year, one will need to start the new list at Netherlands 2019 and finish with Israel 2024, i.e. a 5-year run (6 years if 2020 is included) of a different winning country each year. Furthermore, if the Netherlands, Italy, Ukraine or Sweden win next year, the 2020 problem would be permanently eliminated for this particular count.
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Years Between Wins
Now for a look at countries which have won more than once. Sweden won the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. That means an 8-year gap between its previous win in 2015 and its most recent win in 2023. Although that is Sweden’s second 8-year gap between wins to-date (its previous 8-year gap between wins was 1991 - 1999), Sweden has had two shorter gaps between wins in its participation history.The following table shows the gaps between wins for every country that has won more than once. Where a country has won more than twice (and hence has more than one gap between wins), all gaps between wins for that country are shown. Ireland and Sweden have both won seven times to-date, and therefore both of them have six entries in the table below.
The following table, and notes beneath it, ignore the fact that some countries missed one or more years between wins. Austria currently holds the record for the longest gap between wins: 48 years (1966 - 2014), but between its wins in 1966 and 2014, it missed several years (1969, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1998, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010). The Netherlands currently holds the record for the second longest gap between wins 44 years (1975 - 2019), but between its wins in 1975 and 2019, it missed 4 years (1985, 1991, 1995, 2002). As for Italy’s 31-year gap between wins (1990 - 2021), this ignores the fact that Italy was absent from 1994 to 1996 inclusive, and from 1998 to 2010 inclusive. This table, and accompanying notes, also ignores the fact that the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was cancelled, so where applicable, e.g. Italy 1990 - 2021, the year 2020 has been included in the count.
|
Country |
Years Between Wins |
From |
To |
|
Austria |
48 |
1966 |
2014 |
|
Netherlands |
44 |
1975 |
2019 |
|
Denmark |
37 |
1963 |
2000 |
|
Switzerland |
32 |
1956 |
1988 |
|
Italy |
31 |
1990 |
2021 |
|
Germany |
28 |
1982 |
2010 |
|
Italy |
26 |
1964 |
1990 |
|
Israel |
20 |
1998 |
2018 |
|
Israel |
19 |
1979 |
1998 |
|
United Kingdom |
16 |
1981 |
1997 |
|
Norway |
14 |
1995 |
2009 |
|
Sweden |
13 |
1999 |
2012 |
|
Denmark |
13 |
2000 |
2013 |
|
Ukraine |
12 |
2004 |
2016 |
|
Netherlands |
10 |
1959 |
1969 |
|
Ireland |
10 |
1970 |
1980 |
|
Luxembourg |
10 |
1973 |
1983 |
|
Sweden |
10 |
1974 |
1984 |
|
Norway |
10 |
1985 |
1995 |
|
France |
8 |
1969 |
1977 |
|
Sweden |
8 |
1991 |
1999 |
|
Sweden |
8 |
2015 |
2023 |
|
France |
7 |
1962 |
1969 |
|
Luxembourg |
7 |
1965 |
1972 |
|
United Kingdom |
7 |
1969 |
1976 |
|
Ireland |
7 |
1980 |
1987 |
|
Sweden |
7 |
1984 |
1991 |
|
Netherlands |
6 |
1969 |
1975 |
|
Ukraine |
6 |
2016 |
2022 |
|
United Kingdom |
5 |
1976 |
1981 |
|
Ireland |
5 |
1987 |
1992 |
|
Luxembourg |
4 |
1961 |
1965 |
|
Sweden |
3 |
2012 |
2015 |
|
Netherlands |
2 |
1957 |
1959 |
|
France |
2 |
1958 |
1960 |
|
France |
2 |
1960 |
1962 |
|
United Kingdom |
2 |
1967 |
1969 |
|
Ireland |
2 |
1994 |
1996 |
|
Spain |
1 |
1968 |
1969 |
|
Luxembourg |
1 |
1972 |
1973 |
|
Israel |
1 |
1978 |
1979 |
|
Ireland |
1 |
1992 |
1993 |
|
Ireland |
1 |
1993 |
1994 |
If either of the following two countries wins next year, it will take the record for longest gap between wins:
Spain 55 years (1969 - 2024).
Monaco 53 years (1971 - 2024) (that is, if Monaco returns next year).
If France wins next year, it will have the second longest gap between wins: 47 years (1977 - 2024).
If Luxembourg wins next year, it will have the third longest gap between wins: 41 years (1983 - 2024). Obviously, Luxembourg will have only had 11 entries (1984 to 1993 inclusive, plus 2024) due to its 30-year absence (1994 to 2023 inclusive), but for the purposes of this method of counting (ignoring absences), it will still count as 41 years’ gap between wins.
If Belgium wins next year, it will have the third longest gap between wins: 38 years (1986 - 2024).
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How Many Wins?
Finally, here is a table showing how many times each country has ever won the Eurovision Song Contest from 1956 to 2023 inclusive.|
Country |
Number of Wins |
|
Albania |
0 |
|
Andorra |
0 |
|
Armenia |
0 |
|
Australia |
0 |
|
Austria |
2 |
|
Azerbaijan |
1 |
|
Belarus |
0 |
|
Belgium |
1 |
|
Bosnia & Herzegovina |
0 |
|
Bulgaria |
0 |
|
Croatia |
0 |
|
Cyprus |
0 |
|
Czechia |
0 |
|
Denmark |
3 |
|
Estonia |
1 |
|
Finland |
1 |
|
France |
5 |
|
Georgia |
0 |
|
Germany |
2 |
|
Greece |
1 |
|
Hungary |
0 |
|
Iceland |
0 |
|
Ireland |
7 |
|
Israel |
4 |
|
Italy |
3 |
|
Latvia |
1 |
|
Lithuania |
0 |
|
Luxembourg |
5 |
|
Malta |
0 |
|
Moldova |
0 |
|
Monaco |
1 |
|
Montenegro |
0 |
|
Morocco |
0 |
|
Netherlands |
5 |
|
North Macedonia |
0 |
|
Norway |
3 |
|
Poland |
0 |
|
Portugal |
1 |
|
Romania |
0 |
|
Russia |
1 |
|
San Marino |
0 |
|
Serbia |
1 |
|
Serbia & Montenegro |
0 |
|
Slovakia |
0 |
|
Slovenia |
0 |
|
Spain |
2 |
|
Sweden |
7 |
|
Switzerland |
2 |
|
Turkey |
1 |
|
Ukraine |
3 |
|
United Kingdom |
5 |
|
Yugoslavia |
1 |
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