Political science The EU cheese stability index Does cheese equal instability?

Charles de Gaulle was right.

The former president articulated the despair of French officials throughout history when he said, "How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?"

We set out to test that theory by comparing the number of cheeses each EU country produces with its political stability (or otherwise).

It turns out that, yes, the number of cheeses a country correlates with political instability (as measured by the World Bank). Its index "measures perceptions of the likelihood that the government will be destabilized or overthrown by unconstitutional or violent means, including politically-motivated violence and terrorism." The latter factor explains why France does so badly in terms of stability, as the latest figures come from 2016 (the Paris terror attack was in November 2015 and the attack in Nice was in July 2016).

De Gaulle, however, was way off on the number of French cheeses, which is 1,200, according to data from the European Dairy Association — making it Europe's undisputed grand fromage.

Hover over or tap the five biggest bubbles for extra details on political stability … and cheeses.

SOURCE: European Dairy Association and World Bank . The World Bank’s political stability index ranges from 2.5 (most stable) to -2.5 (most unstable). Country codes follow ISO standard. Source images by Smashicons/Flaticon .