In the 19th century the Ottoman Empire was dismissed by Nicholas I of Russia as "the sick man of Europe", as it was increasingly falling under the financial control of the European powers. This view led the Allies in World War I to dangerously underestimate their opponent, leading to the disastrous Dardanelles Campaign.

In the 1970s the United Kingdom was also known by this name because of industrial strife and poor economic performance compared to other European countries. Some people even argued it would be the first developed nation to return to the status of a developing country.

In the late 1990s press labeled Germany with this term in press because of its economic problems.