Which is Europe's smallest country by population?

Vatican City is Europe's smallest country by population, with a population of only a few hundred people.

Its residents include clergy, members of the Swiss Guard, other employees and their families. Citizenship is generally connected to holding an office or role for the Holy See, rather than being granted simply by birth in the territory.

The country occupies a compact enclave within Rome and has no conventional residential suburbs. Many people who work there live elsewhere in Rome or outside the territory, so the number of citizens and the number of residents are not identical.

Monaco and San Marino are also European microstates with very small populations, but both have populations many times larger than Vatican City's. Population figures can change, while the ranking remains clear at this scale.