FIFA Rankings Per Capita
A flaw with measuring the best international football team in the world is that each country is different in terms of population. Therefore, larger countries always have an advantage because they have a larger pool of potential players to pull from. The following list will somewhat factor out this problem by rating each team by their FIFA points per head of population. This table is not claimed to be a clear cut method, but at least it gives an indication as to the teams that are punching above their weight (or not).
There now follows a listing of the current FIFA world rankings per capata for May 2017
Rank | Fifa Rank | Country | Points | Population | Per Head |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 86 | Faroe Islands | 431 | 49469 | 0.0087125270371344 |
2 | 34 | Iceland | 872 | 301931 | 0.002888077077213 |
3 | 87 | Montenegro | 560 | 621383 | 0.00090121551442508 |
4 | 48 | Cape Verde Islands | 418 | 498897 | 0.0008378482933351 |
5 | 118 | Andorra | 66 | 79218 | 0.00083314398242824 |
6 | 75 | Equatorial Guinea | 287 | 551201 | 0.00052068120340856 |
7 | 115 | Guam | 82 | 165124 | 0.00049659649717788 |
8 | 25 | Northern Ireland | 823 | 1710300 | 0.00048120212828159 |
9 | 83 | Cyprus | 343 | 788457 | 0.00043502689430115 |
10 | 82 | Qatar | 369 | 885359 | 0.0004167800858183 |
11 | 63 | Trinidad and Tobago | 439 | 1065842 | 0.00041188093544822 |
12 | 108 | Bahrain | 232 | 586000 | 0.00039590443686007 |
13 | 111 | Barbados | 110 | 280946 | 0.00039153431620311 |
14 | 26 | Wales | 1119 | 2903085 | 0.00038545202775668 |
15 | 117 | San Marino | 12 | 31448 | 0.00038158229458153 |
16 | 69 | United Arab Emirates | 453 | 1400000 | 0.00032357142857143 |
17 | 9 | Uruguay | 1097 | 3431932 | 0.00031964502793179 |
18 | 56 | Slovenia | 614 | 2009245 | 0.00030558742214115 |
19 | 85 | Gabon | 392 | 1384000 | 0.00028323699421965 |
20 | 90 | Estonia | 331 | 1325000 | 0.00024981132075472 |
21 | 27 | Croatia | 1016 | 4494749 | 0.0002260415431429 |
22 | 23 | Costa Rica | 902 | 4075261 | 0.00022133551691536 |
23 | 33 | Republic of Ireland | 823 | 4062235 | 0.00020259783099698 |
24 | 55 | Panama | 607 | 3320000 | 0.0001828313253012 |
25 | 21 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 815 | 4498976 | 0.00018115233333096 |
26 | 98 | Armenia | 527 | 2971650 | 0.00017734255380008 |
27 | 45 | Jamaica | 458 | 2780132 | 0.00016474037923379 |
28 | 15 | Switzerland | 1212 | 7523934 | 0.00016108594254017 |
29 | 24 | Slovakia | 846 | 5439448 | 0.00015553048765242 |
30 | 41 | Albania | 533 | 3600523 | 0.00014803404949781 |
31 | 59 | Congo | 392 | 2958448 | 0.00013250190640498 |
32 | 2 | Belgium | 1281 | 10379067 | 0.00012342149829074 |
33 | 37 | Denmark | 657 | 5450661 | 0.00012053583959817 |
34 | 8 | Portugal | 1259 | 10605870 | 0.00011870784763532 |
35 | 97 | Latvia | 265 | 2259810 | 0.00011726649585585 |
36 | 42 | Scotland | 589 | 5062011 | 0.00011635691822874 |
37 | 112 | Mauritius | 147 | 1296000 | 0.00011342592592593 |
38 | 43 | Paraguay | 738 | 6506464 | 0.00011342566407806 |
39 | 110 | FYR Macedonia | 225 | 2050554 | 0.00010972644465837 |
40 | 93 | Oman | 290 | 3102229 | 9.3481171119218E-5 |
41 | 10 | Austria | 762 | 8199783 | 9.2929288494586E-5 |
42 | 105 | Lithuania | 331 | 3575439 | 9.2576044508101E-5 |
43 | 70 | Israel | 557 | 6352117 | 8.7687301729486E-5 |
44 | 5 | Chile | 1411 | 16134219 | 8.745387675722E-5 |
45 | 35 | Sweden | 768 | 9016596 | 8.5176268294598E-5 |
46 | 50 | Norway | 387 | 4610820 | 8.3933009746639E-5 |
47 | 68 | Bulgaria | 614 | 7385367 | 8.313737150774E-5 |
48 | 20 | Hungary | 801 | 9981334 | 8.0249794265977E-5 |
49 | 113 | New Zealand | 301 | 4115771 | 7.3133320585621E-5 |
50 | 84 | Honduras | 524 | 7326496 | 7.1521229247924E-5 |
51 | 116 | Gambia | 120 | 1700000 | 7.0588235294118E-5 |
52 | 46 | Tunisia | 701 | 10175014 | 6.8894254101272E-5 |
53 | 39 | Greece | 730 | 10688058 | 6.830052756076E-5 |
54 | 40 | Senegal | 805 | 11987121 | 6.7155407874835E-5 |
55 | 30 | Czech Republic | 679 | 10235455 | 6.6338037732568E-5 |
56 | 53 | Serbia | 671 | 10150265 | 6.610664844711E-5 |
57 | 101 | Libya | 361 | 5551000 | 6.5033327328409E-5 |
58 | 73 | Haiti | 537 | 8300000 | 6.4698795180723E-5 |
59 | 66 | Finland | 335 | 5231372 | 6.403673835468E-5 |
60 | 13 | Ecuador | 839 | 13547510 | 6.1930199719358E-5 |
61 | 109 | Georgia | 274 | 4646003 | 5.8975424682248E-5 |
62 | 72 | Burkina Faso | 765 | 13228000 | 5.7831871787118E-5 |
63 | 91 | Togo | 320 | 5548702 | 5.7671145431851E-5 |
64 | 81 | Bolivia | 460 | 9119152 | 5.0443286831933E-5 |
65 | 54 | Guinea | 474 | 9690222 | 4.8915288008882E-5 |
66 | 79 | Jordan | 311 | 6459000 | 4.8149868400681E-5 |
67 | 14 | Netherlands | 792 | 16491461 | 4.8024853589382E-5 |
68 | 74 | Benin | 396 | 8439000 | 4.6924991112691E-5 |
69 | 57 | Cameroon | 779 | 17340702 | 4.4923210144549E-5 |
70 | 62 | Mali | 504 | 11716829 | 4.3015051256616E-5 |
71 | 77 | Belarus | 428 | 10293011 | 4.1581612999345E-5 |
72 | 1 | Argentina | 1603 | 39921833 | 4.0153466901182E-5 |
73 | 47 | Peru | 1044 | 28302603 | 3.6887066535894E-5 |
74 | 114 | Moldova | 142 | 4320490 | 3.2866642441019E-5 |
75 | 58 | Australia | 661 | 20264082 | 3.2619291611631E-5 |
76 | 3 | Colombia | 1348 | 43593035 | 3.09223709705E-5 |
77 | 28 | Poland | 1183 | 38536869 | 3.0697875325575E-5 |
78 | 36 | Ghana | 682 | 22409572 | 3.0433423717329E-5 |
79 | 22 | Romania | 676 | 22303552 | 3.030907363993E-5 |
80 | 6 | Spain | 1204 | 40397842 | 2.980357218091E-5 |
81 | 78 | Zambia | 334 | 11502011 | 2.903840032843E-5 |
82 | 96 | Rwanda | 285 | 10186063 | 2.7979406763928E-5 |
83 | 88 | Guatemala | 352 | 12728111 | 2.7655321359155E-5 |
84 | 99 | Zimbabwe | 304 | 12398897 | 2.4518309975476E-5 |
85 | 64 | Saudi Arabia | 646 | 27019731 | 2.3908454158926E-5 |
86 | 94 | Syria | 426 | 19405000 | 2.1953104869879E-5 |
87 | 11 | England | 1103 | 50431700 | 2.1871164366857E-5 |
88 | 65 | Uzbekistan | 586 | 27307134 | 2.1459593672481E-5 |
89 | 76 | Venezuela | 595 | 27730469 | 2.1456542981657E-5 |
90 | 17 | France | 1294 | 60876136 | 2.1256276843852E-5 |
91 | 12 | Italy | 1165 | 58133509 | 2.0040077057795E-5 |
92 | 61 | Morocco | 633 | 33241259 | 1.9042600041112E-5 |
93 | 32 | Algeria | 628 | 33333216 | 1.8840066317033E-5 |
94 | 71 | Uganda | 463 | 25827000 | 1.7926975645642E-5 |
95 | 4 | Germany | 1464 | 82422299 | 1.776218350813E-5 |
96 | 92 | Mozambique | 323 | 18863000 | 1.7123469225468E-5 |
97 | 19 | Ukraine | 761 | 46710816 | 1.6291729949654E-5 |
98 | 102 | Angola | 189 | 12127071 | 1.5584966889367E-5 |
99 | 49 | Korea Republic | 700 | 48846823 | 1.4330512344682E-5 |
100 | 18 | Turkey | 863 | 70413958 | 1.2256092747975E-5 |
101 | 38 | Iran | 820 | 68688433 | 1.1937963412268E-5 |
102 | 44 | Egypt | 910 | 78887007 | 1.1535486445822E-5 |
103 | 51 | Congo DR | 712 | 62600000 | 1.1373801916933E-5 |
104 | 67 | South Africa | 539 | 47432000 | 1.1363636363636E-5 |
105 | 107 | Kenya | 428 | 37953840 | 1.1276856307557E-5 |
106 | 104 | Cuba | 124 | 11382820 | 1.0893609843606E-5 |
107 | 95 | Iraq | 278 | 27499638 | 1.0109223983239E-5 |
108 | 16 | Mexico | 1076 | 107449525 | 1.0014004249902E-5 |
109 | 89 | Canada | 312 | 31413990 | 9.9318806684538E-6 |
110 | 7 | Brazil | 1672 | 188078227 | 8.889917916974E-6 |
111 | 60 | Nigeria | 726 | 131859731 | 5.5058507589402E-6 |
112 | 52 | Japan | 685 | 127463611 | 5.3740828039149E-6 |
113 | 103 | Ethiopia | 265 | 51700000 | 5.1257253384913E-6 |
114 | 106 | Sudan | 155 | 37960000 | 4.0832455216017E-6 |
115 | 29 | Russia | 561 | 142893540 | 3.9259997337878E-6 |
116 | 100 | Thailand | 245 | 63360000 | 3.8667929292929E-6 |
117 | 31 | USA | 847 | 298444215 | 2.8380513256054E-6 |
118 | 80 | China PR | 425 | 1321851888 | 3.2151862387778E-7 |
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Previous Comments For This Page
I believe that for this to make any sense at all one has to look at not just population but also the significance of what the nation has won. That being said, Uruguay is so far ahead of all others it’s truly incredible.
By Richard on 30/03/2022
Haha. Even if China were #1 in the rankings they would _still_ be last on this list. I understand the idea this meant to convey, but the execution is naive.
On 30/03/2022
why only 118 countries???
By Eluwina on 17/09/2020
Where is India or even Pakistan or Bangladesh? I believe they would be even below China in the Points per Capita Ranking.
By The aggregated soccer world ra on 14/04/2020