europa universalis 4 best starting nation

It must maintain a powerful navy to resist Sweden or expand, which could drain ressources. Denmark also has a good Free Trade slider, and often inherits Norway. This toll (controlled by the provinces Sjælland and Skåne) gives a +25% boost to national CoT value.

Denmark: Denmark is quite a unique trader because it starts with the Sound Toll.

Note that Switzerland starts with +5 Decentralisation and has relatively low tax provincse and as such taking loans and/or heavy minting will be required to maintain a steady stream of merchants. That said, the disadvantage of having to wait longer before you can trade in Asia is perhaps no so great in a wider perspective. Ideally, Switzerland needs to conquer its way to the coast 50 years before discovering trade technology 7, to have a core port where ships may be built, which could be difficult due to powerful neighbours, often HRE members. However, Switzerland has no ports, making it unable to explore terra incognita: this will prevent you from opening markets in the CoTs of East Asia, such as China, India, and Malacca, where very good trading can be done.

Switzerland: Their starting government, Administrative republic, gives a boost to trade efficiency, and their initial slider position (full free subjects, and full plutocracy) has some positives, however they do have full decentralization which comes with steep penalties.

To maintain safety, the constant building of a modern fleet will be necessary, and can force to mint some more. Also, at the start, partly because of a strong navy, they are difficult to vanquish, and lack major land-based menaces (for a time), though the Iberians, the Ottomans, and Sweden threaten directly the interest of, respectively, Genoa, Venice and Hansa. Venice and Genoa have the advantage of a (highly contested) naval empire (in Greece and in Crimea, respectively) as a basis for other operations. However, they start highly mercantilistic, which will hurt trade elsewhere in the world. They can also create Germany (Hansa) or Italy (Venice, Genoa) with a relative ease, giving a bonus to centralization. Venice and Hansa also have decisions that enhance economy, and have unique missions related to trade. With merchants being cheap you can trade without it having drain your budget, and your trade league and the claiming of trade rights will help increasing the amount of traffic through your CoT. You start off with a CoT and your government grants you a break on merchant costs and advantages to your CoTs.

Venice, Genoa, Hansa: These three Imperial merchant republics are similar, and are the natural choice for a trader.

While it is possible for most nations to become economic powerhouses, some nations are very well suited for economic success.

Europa universalis 4 best starting nation