16-05-2025
The Eurovision in numbers ahead of Saturday's final
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Basel, Switzerland, with the grand final on Saturday on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Here is a snapshot of the Eurovision in numbers:
0
Countries have scored the dreaded zero points in Eurovision finals on 37 occasions. It was fairly common in the 1960s, happening 19 times, but became rare after semi-finals were introduced in 2004. The feat became mathematically even more difficult after the voting system changed in 2016. However, Britain's James Newman managed it in 2021.
3
Basel sits right on the border of three countries: Switzerland, Germany, and France. The three countries meet in the River Rhine. Three presenters will host the final: stand-up comedian Hazel Brugger; entertainer and television presenter Michelle Hunziker; and singer Sandra Studer, who represented Switzerland at Eurovision 1991.
5
Eurovision's 'Big Five' main financial backers - Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain - are guaranteed a place in the final.
6
Dublin has hosted the Eurovision six times, a record for any city.
7
Sweden and Ireland have both won Eurovision a record seven times.
9
Britain has hosted the competition a record nine times, after its own five outright victories and stepping in for other countries, including when Liverpool hosted in 2023 following war-torn Ukraine's win.
13
Belgium's Sandra Kim is the youngest Eurovision winner, having triumphed in 1986 with J'aime la Vie at the age of 13.
Watch: Sandra Kim sings J'aime la Vie at the Eurovision in Bergen, Norway in May 1986.
14
Greece, Norway, and Ukraine have qualified from the semi-finals a record 14 times.
16
Britain has finished in second place a record 16 times, way ahead of France at six times, and Germany at five.
26
The number of countries that now compete in the grand final.
27
Eurovision-winning songs have come from 27 different countries - Russia being the biggest and Monaco the smallest.
30
The record number of years between Eurovision appearances, with Poland's Justyna Steczkowska returning in 2025 after competing in 1995.
37
The number of countries taking part in the 2025 edition across the semi-finals and final.
43
A record 43 countries participated in 2008, 2011, and 2018.
69
This year is the 69th edition of Eurovision.
95
The oldest-ever contestant was Takasa's double bass player Emil Ramsauer, who was 95 when competing for Switzerland in 2013.
156
Viewers in 156 countries voted in last year's contest.
1956
The first Eurovision was held in the Swiss city of Lugano in 1956. Seven countries took part.
1974
ABBA took the 1974 competition in Brighton by storm with Waterloo, and the Swedish four-piece remain the most successful act ever to have won Eurovision.
1988
Aged 20, Canadian starlet Céline Dion represented Switzerland at Eurovision 1988 in Dublin, singing Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi. She won, launching her career outside of her homeland.
Watch: Céline Dion sings Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi at the Eurovision in the RDS in Dublin in May 1988.
4,500
Lighting fixtures in the Basel stage set, using mainly low-energy LED and laser technology.
6,500
The number of tickets sold at Basel's St Jakobshalle for each of the nine shows, including six dress rehearsals.
14,000
The number of people accredited for Eurovision 2025.
100,000
Organisers' estimate of the crowds lining Sunday's opening parade in Basel.
163,000,000
The number of people who watched Eurovision 2024 on television or online.
The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Saturday from 8pm.
