ESC HISTORY & STATISTICS: Number of Participating Countries.

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2019

THE HISTORY & STATISTICS

 

The Eurovision Song Contest commenced in 1956 with just 7 countries: Italy, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. Denmark, United Kingdom and Austria joined the ESC family the following year.  By 1959, the number of competing nations grew to 11. In 1960, 13 countries participated. The following year saw the number expand to 16. By 1965, there were 18. That record was broken 10 years later when 19 countries took part. 1978 saw that number increase to 20. A new record was established in 1987 when 22 countries were represented. Since then, numbers have continued to increase: to 23 in 1992, 25 in 1993 and 26 in 2003. 

 A semi-final was introduced the following year as more countries expressed interest in Eurovision. That year, 36 nations vied for the top prize. In 2005, the total rose to 39. In 2007, 42 showed up.

 In 2008, a second Semi-Final was introduced in order to accommodate the record-breaking 43 competitors. This remains the highest number of participating countries, a total that has been repeated in 2011 and 2018. This year, the songs will be representing 41 competitors.