The 10 Most Diverse Countries in Europe
- Bosnia and Herzegovina is the most diverse country in Europe, with religious diversity at 50.61%.
- Spain shows the highest racial diversity among all countries at 66.90%.
- Western European nations like Belgium and Switzerland show strong language diversity, while their religious diversity is among the lowest.
In 2024, Eurostat reported that 31% of Europeans use a foreign language daily, highlighting growing linguistic diversity across the continent. To determine the most diverse countries in Europe, MyCross created a composite index combining religious, racial, and linguistic diversity. Religious diversity was measured using the Religious Diversity Index formula based on population shares across seven major religions. Racial and linguistic indices were sourced from existing datasets. Each dimension was normalized, then averaged to generate a single diversity score for each country.
Findings summed up:
| Country |
Religious diversity |
Racial Diversity |
Language Diversity |
Diversity Rate |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
50.61% | 63.70% | 69.00% | 61.10% |
| Belgium |
22.04% | 59.20% | 70.00% | 50.41% |
| Switzerland |
17.15% | 36.70% | 68.00% | 40.62% |
| Cyprus |
40.46% | 34.70% | 44.00% | 39.72% |
| Georgia |
21.64% | 36.70% | 55.00% | 37.78% |
| Latvia |
4.97% | 54.70% | 53.00% | 37.56% |
| Spain |
9.02% | 66.90% | 28.00% | 34.64% |
| Estonia |
10.95% | 45.80% | 47.00% | 34.58% |
| Netherlands |
26.30% | 35.40% | 41.00% | 34.23% |
| Albania | 29.31% | 13.90% | 50.00% | 31.07% |
You can see the full research here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is the most diverse country in Europe with a diversity rate of 61.10%. It’s the only country in the dataset where all three scores, religious (50.61%), racial (63.70%), and language (69.00%) are high. This balance across categories places it clearly ahead of the rest.
Belgium follows in second place, reaching a diversity rate of 50.41%. The standout here is language diversity at 70.00%, the highest among all countries. That linguistic mix helps close the gap with Bosnia and Herzegovina, even though Belgium’s religious score is much lower.
Switzerland is the third most diverse country in Europe with a diversity rate of 40.62%. Its language diversity at 68% is nearly identical to Belgium’s, keeping it close in the rankings. The other scores are lower, but Switzerland’s linguistic mix keeps it in the top three.
Cyprus takes fourth place, scoring 39.72% on the diversity scale. It records a higher religious diversity score than Belgium and Switzerland at 40.46%, which lifts it close to the top three even though its other metrics are lower.
With a 37.78% diversity rate, Georgia lands in fifth. Its leading factor is language diversity at 55.00%, which outpaces Cyprus. That score helps it remain just two points behind in the overall ranking.
Latvia is sixth, with a diversity rate of 37.56%. It stands out for racial diversity at 54.70%, nearly matching Georgia’s top metric. This strong showing helps Latvia stay competitive, even with lower religious diversity.
Spain ranks seventh at 34.64%. It holds the highest racial diversity score at 66.90% of all countries analyzed. While its language and religious diversity are lower, that single strong metric puts it just ahead of Estonia.
Estonia posts a diversity rate of 34.58%, making it the eighth most diverse country. Its racial and language diversity are similar to Latvia’s, and the scores are consistently in the middle range, keeping it close to Spain overall.
The Netherlands comes next at 34.23%. It records higher religious diversity than both Estonia and Spain at 26.30%, which helps narrow the gap with those two countries.
Rounding out the top ten, Albania records a diversity rate of 31.07%. It features language diversity at 50.00%, putting it in the same zone as Georgia. Combined with a respectable religious score, it maintains a strong presence on the list.
ENDS
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