They are nearly as bad, but perhaps more excuses due to the high population density. Is it a coincidence that both have populist leaders? Perhaps not - there are a number of other European countries with figures not too far behind the UK, and while some have populist leaders, not all do. And looking round the world it is easy to find countries nearly as bad as the US and UK, its just that we, at least in the English speaking world, expect these two countries to be leaders in science and medicine.
In truth, it is the countries doing relatively well, such as here and NZ and Taiwan and a few others that are the exceptions. The world as a whole is not doing well with this pandemic.

