Top 10 Eurovision nations from the 2000s by points

Eurovision in the 2000s was wild.

Eight countries won for the first time, 15 countries debuted and some countries fell from grace.

But who were the top nations during this decade?

We've taken a look at total points received during the decade and have the Top 10 by numbers.

Let's take a look:

10. Latvia

• 653 points

• Best result: 1st place in 2002

Latvia debuted with a bang, finishing in 3rd place with Brainstorm's 'My Star'. Fast forward to 2002 and they took out the top spot with 'I Wanna' performed by Marie N (including an iconic costume reveal).

Add in a 5th place in 2005 with 'War is Not Over', an iconic Eurovision entry with 'Wolves of the Sea' (12th in 2008), four other Grand Final qualifiers and a successful hosting of the Contest in 2003, and it was quite the first decade for the Baltic nation.

9. Denmark

• 664 points

• Best result: 1st place in 2000

Denmark won their first Eurovision title in 37 years with the Olsen Brothers and their song 'Fly on the Wings of Love' in the year 2000. The nation immediately followed this with a runner-up placing at their home Contest with 'Never Ever Let You Go' by Rollo & King. They managed another top 10 performance with 'Talking to You' in 2005 plus four other Grand Final qualifiers, including the Ronan Keating-penned 'Believe Again' in 2009.

The country did fail to qualify twice and received its first ever last place, but overall it was a solid decade from the ever-consistent Scandinavian nation.

8. Romania

• 686 points

• Best result: 3rd place in 2005

Despite not winning a Contest, it proved to be a consistently good decade for Romania. Romania's best result was a 3rd place in 2005 with 'Let Me Try' by Luminița Anghel and Sistem. The country followed this up with a 4th place achieved by Mihai Trăistariu's 'Tornerò' in a very competitive 2006 Eurovision.

Add in a 100% qualification record, 40% of their entries making the Top 10 and a diversity of musical genres, and you can see why Romania makes the list.

7. Bosnia & Herzegovina

• 810 points

• Best result: 3rd in 2006

Another nation without a win, but this was an incredible decade for the small Balkan country. Hari Mata Hari with 'Lejla' was their best result, finishing 3rd behind Lordi and Dima Bilan in 2006

This was one of four entries to make the Top 10 from the nation, representing a real mix of songs: the Balkan ballad 'Bistra voda' finished 9th in 2009, the bonkers 'Pokušaj' came 10th in 2008 and the camp classic 'In the Disco' ended up 9th in 2004.

Bosnia & Herzegovina qualified in every year in which it entered (nine Contests from 2001 onwards) and never finished worse than 16th. A great decade and a country we sorely miss at Eurovision - come back!

6. Sweden

• 868 points

• Best results: 5th place in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006

The 2000s are often not regarded as a successful decade for Sweden. Indeed, it's the only one since the 1960s in which Sweden didn't take out a Eurovision crown. However, it was still a period of consistency.

The country's 6th place finish in this list is the result of four of its entries finishing in 5th:

• Friends - 'Listen to Your Heartbeat' (2001)

• Fame - 'Give Me Your Love' (2003)

• Lena Philipsson - 'It Hurts' (2004)

• Carola - 'Invincible' (2006)

A further two entries made the Top 10, the Swedish act qualified every year (albeit through a wildcard one year) and fans witnessed iconic performances from The Ark, Charlotte Perrelli and Malena Ernman. A decent decade, but perhaps not an overly successful one by the very high Swedish standards.

5. Norway

• 916 points

• Best result: 1st in 2009

Alexander Rybak's win for Norway with 'Fairytale' underpins the country's performance over the decade. 42% of its total points for those ten years came from his record-breaking triumph in Moscow. It was the third victory for Norway in as many decades, with previous wins coming in 1985 and 1995.

However, the country did enjoy success beyond 'Fairytale' that helped it secure 5th position here. There were two more Top 5 results ('I'm Not Afraid To Move On' finished 4th in 2003 and 'Hold on Be Strong' came 5th in 2008), plus another Top 10 from Wig Wam and 'In My Dreams', which ended the night 9th in 2005.

In true Norwegian style, there were also two last places and a non-qualifier, but that didn't take the shine off the top Scandinavian country of the decade.

4. Ukraine

• 1,026 points

• Best result: 1st in 2004

Ukraine competed in just seven of the Contests of the 2000s, but had an almost immediate impact. After debuting in 2003, the country won the Contest the very next year when Ruslana's entry 'Wild Dances' took out the title in Istanbul.

Apart from that win, Ukraine had two other iconic runner-ups: Verka Serduchka's 'Dancing Lasha Tumbai' in 2007 and 'Shady Lady' by Ani Lorak in 2008. Throw in another Top 10 with 'Show Me Your Love' in 2006, a 100% qualification record and a successful hosting of Eurovision 2005 in Kyiv, and it was an incredible debut decade for the Eastern nation.

3. Turkey

• 1,152 points

• Best result: 1st in 2003

After debuting back in 1975, Turkey finally got its much-deserved win in 2003, thanks to Sertab Erener's classic 'Everyway That I Can'. Some argue that the song itself set the tone for the "Eastern/Mediterranean" dominance over the following years.

However, it wasn't just this narrow victory that meant Turkey claims the 3rd place in this list. The country had four more Top 10 songs, including a trifecta of 4th places achieved by Athena's 'For Real' on home soil in 2004, 'Shake It Up Şekerim' by Kenan Doğulu in 2007 and Hadise's 'Düm Tek Tek' in 2009.

Combined with a 100% qualification record and a lowest position of 16th, and it certainly was Turkey's most successful decade of all time. An incredible Eurovision nation, we'd love to see them back!

2. Greece

• 1,286 points

• Best result: 1st in 2005

Many of you probably thought Greece would top this list, but it's just fallen short. The country's enjoyed a remarkable decade. A win for Helena Paparizou with 'My Number One' in 2005 capped off an incredible period for Greece, after it hosted the Olympics and won the UEFA Euros football tournament in the same year (2004).

In addition to that win, there were a trio of 3rd places for Antique in 2001 with '(I Would) Die for You', Sakis Rouvas with 'Shake It' in 2004 and Kalomira's 'Secret Combination' in 2008. They country achieved a further three Top 10 placings, including iconic entries from Sakis Rouvas (again!), Anna Vissi on home soil and Sarbel.

A 100% qualification record and a worst result of 17th made for a stunning Greek Eurovision decade. Opa!

1.Russia

• 1,353 points

• Best result: 1st in 2008

What a decade the 2000s were for Russia! Not only did the country win its first Contest in 2008 with Dima Bilan's 'Believe', but it also secured FOUR other podium finishes. This meant that 50% of all Russian entries in the 2000s finished in the Top 3. An INCREDIBLE record! Here's the full list:

• 1st: Dima Bilan - 'Believe' (2008)

• 2nd: Alsou - 'Solo' (2000)

• 2nd: Dima Bilan - 'Never Let You Go' (2006)

• 3rd: t.A.T.u. - 'Ne ver', ne boisia' (2003)

• 3rd: Serebro - 'Song #1' (2007)

Russia's worst result was 15th, it hosted one of the best Eurovision Contests of all time in 2009, and the nation fully deserves its No. 1 spot in this list.

Full rankings below:

1. Russia: 1,353

2. Greece: 1,286

3. Turkey: 1,152

4. Ukraine: 1,026

5. Norway: 916

6. Sweden: 868

7. Bosnia & Herzegovina: 810

8. Romania: 686

9. Denmark: 664

10. Latvia: 653

11. Malta: 563

12. Armenia: 558

13. Estonia: 550

14. Spain: 510

15. France: 499

16. Croatia: 495

17. Germany: 463

18. United Kingdom: 445

19. Finland: 444

20. Serbia: 428

21. Iceland: 427

22. Israel: 421

23. Serbia & Montenegro: 400

24. Moldova: 348

25. Azerbaijan: 339

26. Cyprus: 324

27. North Macedonia: 282

28. Albania: 262

29. Lithuania: 260

30. Ireland: 256

31. Hungary: 225

32. Belgium: 207

33. Switzerland: 187

34. Georgia: 180

35. Slovenia: 176

36. Austria: 170

37. Portugal: 157

38. Bulgaria: 157

39. Belarus: 145

40. Poland: 142

41. Netherlands: 112

42. San Marino: 0

43. Monaco: 0

44. Czech Republic: 0

45. Slovakia: 0

46. Andorra: 0

47. Montenegro: 0