The Eurovision song contest has been entertaining fans since the 1950s, with its fanbase growing every year. In 2022 alone, over 161 million viewers tuned in to cheer on their nation’s act.

But not every country hits a high note every time.

While the ‘Big Five’ – Italy, Spain, Germany, France and the United Kingdom - have a free pass to the final each year, other countries have to battle it out to secure their place.

So, who is the most loved on the grand Eurovision finals stage?

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How did we find out?

So, we sat down and had a very long Eurovision watch party... just kidding. We tallied up the total number of points each nation has been awarded in Eurovision finals to date, spanning all the way back to 1956.

We also looked at which countries have received the highest average points per final appearance if their space has not been guaranteed.

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The scores are in...

According to our findings, Sweden is Europe’s most loved nation, scoring the highest number of points in Eurovision finals between 1957 and 2022. The Scandinavian country has a staggering 5,888 points under its belt from 60 appearances, winning the competition six times so far.

While the study shows the average number of points per final appearance is 86, Sweden boasts an impressive 98-point average. Swedish pop group ABBA, who won Eurovision in 1974, remain the most successful Eurovision winner of all time.

In second position is this year’s hosts (on behalf of Ukraine), the United Kingdom. Contestants from the UK have appeared in the Eurovision finals 64 times and have tallied 4,546 points to date.

Sam Ryder, the UK’s 2022 entrant, scored the most points for the UK in a final ever, with over 460 points for his catchy song “Space Man”. A vast improvement on the country’s average final score of 71 points.

Other previous UK winners include Sandie Shaw - Puppet on a String (1967), Lulu - Boom Bang-a-Bang (1969 tied) and Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up (1981). However, the country is all too familiar with the nil points trophy too, failing to score a single point in both 2003 and 2021.

Italy comes in third place, with 4,509 Eurovision points. The country has won the competition three times so far, most recently in 2021, when Måneskin received an impressive 524 points.

This is the highest number of points the Italians have received in their competition history. On average, each of their final appearances have scored 98 points.

France takes fourth position, with 4,269 total points for their final appearances. Contestants have appeared in the final 63 times and have won five times. However, its most recent win was all the way back in 1977, with Marie Myriam’s song "L'oiseau et l'enfant".

Rounding up the top five is Norway, with 3,706 total points for its final appearances. Interestingly, Norway’s 2009 winner, Alexander Rybank, won the competition by the highest margin ever. He received 387 points in the final, 169 points ahead of the runners up, Iceland.

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What about the less frequent performers?

While the countries in the top five benefit from decades of participation, some countries have performed impressively with only a few appearances under their belts. Bulgaria, which has participated in 15 Eurovision contests and reached the final five times, has scored an impressive 283 points on average per final performance – the best of any nation.

Despite its impressive average, contestants from Bulgaria have never won the competition. Kristian Kostov received the highest score (615 points) ever for Bulgaria in 2017 when he secured second place.

Australian contestants have also done a fantastic job in their nine Eurovision appearances – reaching the final 6 times. They have an average score of 231 points for their final performances. Australia first began competing in 2015 and just one year later, Australian performer Dami Im secured a second-place finish with 511 points.

Serbia & Montenegro, Ukraine and Russia have also scored an impressive number of average points per final appearance. Serbia & Montenegro, have each performed individually in the contest, but during their combined performances they have scored an average of 200 points per final appearance, despite only participating in the competition together three times.

Ukraine has participated in the contest 19 times and appeared in the finals 17 times. They have scored an average of 199 points per final appearance. In 2022 Kalush Orchestra walked away with the coveted glass trophy.

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So there you have it; the most loved countries according to Eurovision. Last year we identified the contest as a highlight of 2022 in That's a Wrap, so we'll definitely be tuning in. We're excited for an evening of music bringing us all together, hosted from the UK!