Who are Australia's Eurovision friends?

The Eurovision Song Contest has always been synonymous with voting alliances, from the Nordics to the Balkans and the most famous of them all Greece and Cyprus, patterns of support often follow geography, culture and diaspora.

But where does that leave Australia, a country thousands of kilometres away from Europe with no natural voting bloc?

Since debuting in 2015, Australia has built itself a reputation as a strong competitor, but even still there are countries that consistently back us up and sometime, we too return the favour.

To find out exactly who our 'Eurovision Besties' are, we analysed two key metrics:

• The percentage of total possible points Australia has awarded to each country since 2015.

• The percentage of total possible points each country has awarded to Australia since 2015.

We then combined these to create an average score, revealing not just one-sided support, but a few true mutual Eurovision alliances we have at this year in Vienna.

So here are how the countries rank from our closest friends to what you might call frenemies:

1. Sweden - 47.83% average

   Australia has given Sweden 107 out of a possible 228 points

   Sweden has given Australia 76 out of a possible 156 points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEdWkdVKIqQ

There is no real surprise who is at the top. Sweden stands out as Australia's clearest Eurovision ally, and by a significant margin at that.

Sweden famously awarded Australia our first ever douze points back in 2015, and since then, both countries consistently reward each other almost every year.

The most points Australia has given Sweden in a single year was Too Late For Love (2019) with 20 points total, with Sweden giving the maximum 24 points to Dami Im and Sound of Silence (2016).

More than anything, this reflects a shared Eurovision taste between the two nations: polished pop, strong vocals and slick, contemporary staging.

2. Malta - 34.90% average

   Australia has given Malta 43 out of a possible 96 points

   Malta has given Australia 39 out of a possible 156 points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbbc2yKnv0M

Malta's place near the top is largely driven by Australia's consistent support over the years, particularly for Malta's history of vocal-driven pop bangers that us Aussies have such an affinity for.

Australia has repeatedly backed Malta with strong scores, including a peak of 20 points for Je Me Casse (2021).

While Malta hasn't quite returned the same level of support overall, they have still delivered steady points across the years, keeping the relationship relatively strong.

Australia in fact has the largest population of Maltese outside of Malta so it shouldn't be a surprise the island nation has such support to each other.

More than anything, this pairing highlights Australia's tendency to reward powerhouse vocals and polished performances, something Malta has become known for in the modern era of the Contest.

3. Finland - 34.80% average

   Australia has given Finland 43 out of a possible 144 points

   Finland has given Australia 62 out of a possible 156 points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6rS8Dv5g-8

Finland stands out as one of Australia's most balanced Eurovision relationships, with both nations consistently exchanging points over the years.

Whilst Australia's support has been steady, we poured our love into one song in particular and that is Cha Cha Cha (2023) when we gave a total of 17 points to Finland.

A similar story when looking at Finland's Aussie favourites, with Zero Gravity (2019) being their highest awarded act with the Fins giving Australia 16 points that year.

Rather than being driven by a single style, this connection reflects a broader mutual appreciation in the contest, and an example of the Nordic/Australian love for we hold for each other.

4. Belgium - 32.63% average

   Australia has given Belgium 54 out of a possible 132 points

   Belgium has given Australia 38 out of a possible 156 points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDBjhAGaeWg

Belgium's high ranking in this list comes largely thanks to Australia's strong and consistent voting record towards them.

Australia has awarded Belgium multiple high scores over the year, including the only time Australia's ever awarded a song the highest possible score of 24 points, which went to Laura Tesora's Whats the Pressure (2016).

Belgium, in return, has provided more moderate but still consistent support, it seems Australia just has a little crush on Belgium, what can we say!

5. United Kingdom - 31.53% average

   Australia has given the United Kingdom 40 out of a possible 228 points

   The United Kingdom has given Australia 71 out of a possible 156 points

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl1GYTg4GmA

The United Kingdom's position in the top five is one of the more interesting results.

You would think with the two nation's historical ties being so strong they would have each other's back in the Contest right?

Well it's more one sided than you'd think, The United Kingdom is the second highest country in terms of awarding Australia points, with the most being given to Zero Gravity (2019).

Australia has in fact only ever awarded the UK 40 points in total, with 15 of them being thrown to Lucy Jones with Never Give Up on You (2017).

Whether it comes down to cultural ties, similar music tastes or diaspora influence, the UK's consistent support has firmly cemented them as one of Australia's closest Eurovision allies.

6. Denmark — 31.37%

7. Moldova — 30.10%

8. Israel — 28.88%

9. Estonia — 25.32%

10. Switzerland — 24.79%

11. Bulgaria — 23.44%

12. Ukraine — 23.28%

13. Norway — 23.08%

14. Poland — 22.76%

15. Latvia — 22.53%

16. Cyprus — 22.31%

17. Germany — 21.88%

18. Austria — 20.51%

19. Croatia — 20.49%

20. Romania — 20.08%

21. France — 19.94%

22. Portugal — 19.43%

23. Greece — 17.95%

24. Lithuania — 17.03%

25. Italy — 15.18%

26. Serbia — 14.69%

27. Czechia — 14.59%

28. Albania — 13.37%

29. San Marino — 8.34%

30. Azerbaijan — 7.67%

31. Georgia — 4.36%

32. Luxembourg - 4.17%

33. Armenia — 3.97%

34. Montenegro — 3.03%

Unlike many European countries, Australia doesn't neatly fit into a traditional voting bloc.

Instead, our patterns suggest something different: a preference for slick style, vocal quality and pop performance over geography, which makes our alliances much more fluid, and often more one-sided.

But one relationship stands above the rest, in a contest with regional loyalties and cultural ties, Sweden has emerged as Australia's closest and oldest Eurovision ally.

Whilst the Nordic nations tend to trend higher in our ranking, Sweden eclipses the rest not because of proximity, but because both countries consistently reward the same kind of entry.

Sweden has been there for us from the start, giving Australia our first ever set of 12 points at our debut appearance in Vienna, to inviting us back to compete for a second time and forever solidifying Australia as a competitor at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Ultimately, Australia’s place in Eurovision is unique and so are its alliances, us Aussies proves that sometimes, the strongest connections come down to simply liking the same kind of song.

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