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European Union countries

The 27 EU member states: capitals, accession dates, euro area and Schengen area

The European Union brings together 27 countries and about 450 million inhabitants. Born of the Treaty of Rome in 1957 with six founding countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands), it expanded in successive waves until Croatia joined in 2013; the United Kingdom left in 2020. This table presents the 27 member states with their capital, their year of accession and their membership of the euro area and the Schengen area.

member states
27
million inhabitants
450
countries in the euro area
21
countries in the Schengen area
29
CountryCapital Capital Accession Euro Schengen
Austria AustriaVienna Vienna 1995 € ✓
Belgium BelgiumBrussels Brussels 1957 € ✓
Bulgaria BulgariaSofia Sofia 2007 € ✓
Croatia CroatiaZagreb Zagreb 2013 € ✓
Cyprus CyprusNicosia Nicosia 2004 € –
Czech Republic Czech RepublicPrague Prague 2004 – ✓
Denmark DenmarkCopenagen Copenagen 1973 – ✓
Estonia EstoniaTallinn Tallinn 2004 € ✓
Finland FinlandHelsinki Helsinki 1995 € ✓
France FranceParis Paris 1957 € ✓
Germany GermanyBerlin Berlin 1957 € ✓
Greece GreeceAthens Athens 1981 € ✓
Hungary HungaryBudapest Budapest 2004 – ✓
Ireland IrelandDublin Dublin 1973 € –
Italy ItalyRome Rome 1957 € ✓
Latvia LatviaRiga Riga 2004 € ✓
Lithuania LithuaniaVilnius Vilnius 2004 € ✓
Luxembourg LuxembourgLuxembourg Luxembourg 1957 € ✓
Malta MaltaValletta Valletta 2004 € ✓
Netherlands NetherlandsAmsterdam Amsterdam 1957 € ✓
Poland PolandWarsaw Warsaw 2004 – ✓
Portugal PortugalLisbon Lisbon 1986 € ✓
Romania RomaniaBucharest Bucharest 2007 – ✓
Slovakia SlovakiaBratislava Bratislava 2004 € ✓
Slovenia SloveniaLjubljana Ljubljana 2004 € ✓
Spain SpainMadrid Madrid 1986 € ✓
Sweden SwedenStockholm Stockholm 1995 – ✓

FAQs about the European Union

How many countries are in the European Union?

The European Union has 27 member states since the United Kingdom left (Brexit) in 2020. The six founding countries of 1957 are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands; the most recent country to join is Croatia, in 2013.

Which countries are in the euro area?

The euro area has 21 countries since Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026. Six EU countries keep their national currency: Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Czechia, Hungary and Romania.

What is the difference between the European Union and the Schengen area?

The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 states, while the Schengen area is a zone of free movement without internal border controls. It comprises 29 countries: 25 EU member states (all except Ireland and Cyprus) and 4 associated states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).

Which countries are candidates to join the EU?

Nine countries are official candidates for accession: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine. The most advanced negotiations concern the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine.