Which EU country of the 28 is the strongest? The French have the fewest overweight people, and Sweden has the most internet users.

By Rita

The EU currently has 28 member states, each with its own unique culture and strengths, as well as areas of expertise. Below isa list compiled by the website Thrillist highlighting the strengths of each country— it’s quite interesting, and some of it may be quite different from our usual impressions. What do you think?

▲ How much do you know about the strengths of EU countries? (Image / Screenshot fromthrillist)

Austria: Lowest unemployment rate
Last year, Austria’s unemployment rate was around 4.9%. In comparison, the unemployment rate in Greece — one of the PIIGS countries — is still being calculated by NASA.

Belgium: Highest waste recycling rate
Unlike the Swiss who burn their trash to reduce waste, Belgians always find ways to deal with those useless cardboard boxes from Amazon.

Bulgaria: Cheapest electricity prices
If your roommate never turns off the lights when leaving the room, you can safely guess they’re Bulgarian.

Croatia: Quietest living environment
Although research shows that only 10% of Croatians report being seriously bothered by noise, the issue is that most of their old houses have creaky floors.

Cyprus: Tax haven
Skilled at tax avoidance.

Czech Republic: Best beer
The Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption in the world, with an annual per capita rate of 148.6 liters.

Denmark: Most people sing and dance
35% of Danes say they dance at least once a month, and 38% say they’ve sung in the past twelve months.

Estonia: Least wasteful country
Belgium is the best at recycling, but Estonia is all about treasuring every little bit. Imagine if you were Estonia’s neighbor — they might eagerly try to salvage usable parts from a broken lawnmower to fix your car that won’t start.

Finland: Most people travel
Finland is truly the travel capital of Europe — no doubt about it. But it’s not about having the most tourists; rather, up to 88.5% of Finnish residents say they’ve taken at least one overnight trip in the past 12 months. Almost everyone loves going on vacation.

France: Lowest obesity rate
It’s hard to imagine that in a country famous for soft cheeses and baguettes, the obesity rate is actually the lowest in Europe.

Germany: Happiest employment rate
Germany is the most densely populated country in the EU and offers ample job opportunities. For other countries, Germany is synonymous with “efficiency.”

Greece: Lowest tuberculosis rate
Since the food they eat is all homemade, the incidence of tuberculosis is only about five in every 100,000 people.

Hungary: Rarely Evades Taxes
Everyone occasionally feels like evading taxes a little, but this is extremely rare in Hungary.

Ireland: Lowest Divorce Rate
Ireland has the lowest divorce rate and the highest birth rate. Basically, Catholic families are committed to maintaining family integrity.

Italy: Longest Lifespan
The average life expectancy of Italians is 82.03 years.

Latvia: Most Likely to Give Gifts to Government Officials
67% of Latvians believe there's no need to wait for Christmas or birthdays to give gifts to government officials—these people deserve recognition all year round.

Lithuania: Highest Number of High School Graduates
Up to 93.4% of Lithuanians complete secondary education.

Luxembourg: Highest Foreign Language Proficiency
Luxembourg students learn an average of 2.5 foreign languages during their school years, but adults are even more impressive—each can speak an average of 3 foreign languages, considering the country has three official languages.

Malta: Most Optimistic About the Future
Although Malta has a very high unemployment rate, locals find some comfort in knowing it’s only half that of other Mediterranean neighbors.

Netherlands: Most People Have Quit Smoking
Smoking is a serious social issue in Europe, but 30% of people say they’ve quit.

Poland: Europe’s Largest Apple Producer
Poland produces 3 million tons of apples annually but only 900,000 tons of pork—maybe they just have jam for dinner.

Portugal: Produces the Most Cork
Nearly half of the world’s cork comes from Portugal (about 49.6%).

Romania: Least Cocaine Use
Romanians aren’t keen on going to the movies, and they’re equally uninterested in cocaine.

Slovakia: Many Jobs Use Robots
Many Slovaks say they’ve worked with robots before, whether at work or at home.

Slovenia: Fewest Teenage Mothers
Maybe it’s due to government efforts, or maybe Slovenians are too busy learning German to have kids.

Spain: Most Erasmus Program Schools
Sunshine, beaches, and ham make Spain the top choice for European exchange students.

Sweden: Most Internet Trolls
94.8% of Swedes say they use the internet.

The UK: The fewest homicides
Although the UK has many high-profile murderers, such as Jack the Ripper, Harold Shipman, Voldemort, and others, in real life, the homicide rate averages only 0.3 per 100,000 residents.