Which country has the most Michelin stars per capita?

There are a few maps going around on this topic but the data on them isn’t accurate! So I made a precise, up-to-date map - definitely worth checking out!

Lately, many of us have come across a map circulating online—it attempts to show the number of Michelin-starred restaurants per 100,000 people by country. Sounds good, right? But the creator fell into the usual trap: trusting the misleading “research skills” of artificial intelligence. I tested it myself using a paid version, and got the exact same inaccurate results. Even after multiple attempts, it couldn't fully correct the data—there were still some serious errors: outdated figures, missing countries, and incorrect color coding on the map.

So, what else could I do? I created my own table for the European countries—looked up the population data for each one, double-checked the latest Michelin star info straight from the Guide itself, and then visualized everything on a map of Europe. It took quite a bit of work, but that’s the point: AI can be helpful in many ways, but you should never trust it blindly. During our “collaboration,” it reassured me several times that my disappointment was justified—the data really was inaccurate—only to follow up with a differently inaccurate version.

And now, here come the accurate and up-to-date numbers!

Here’s the number of Michelin-starred restaurants per 100,000 inhabitants across European countries. Countries shown in grey are not currently covered by the Michelin Guide.

The darker the shade, the higher the number of starred restaurants per capita.

I’d be happy to dive into interpreting the map as well, if there’s interest—but first, I’d love to hear what stands out to you? What interesting patterns do you notice? What surprised you the most?