Switzerland, In U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Countries rankings, Switzerland has maintained its top spot for the second year in a row, making it the sixth time overall that the country in central Europe has finished first. In the most recent version of the research, which was revealed on Wednesday, the small landlocked nation is ranked No. 2, followed by Canada (No. 2), Sweden (No. 3), Australia (No. 4), and the United States (No. 5), which is down one position from 2022.
The top 25 was dominated by European nations, which accounted for 16 places in the 2023 rankings. Out of these top countries, Germany saw the worst decline, falling five ranks since 2022, while Australia and New Zealand experienced the most gains, rising three spots each year.
Japan, Singapore, China, and South Korea represented Asia, while the United Arab Emirates was the only Middle Eastern nation to make the top 25.
U.S. News & World Report Names These as the Top 10 Countries in the World:
Switzerland
Canada
Sweden
Australia
United States
Japan
Germany
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Netherlands
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the multinational marketing communications firm WPP collaborated to create the Best Countries rankings and research for U.S. News. The project is based on a global poll in which over 17,000 respondents from 36 countries linked different countries with particular characteristics, such as “committed to social justice,” “dynamic,” “safe,” and “a leader,” as well as “cares about human rights,” “economically stable,” and “dynamic.”
This year’s poll covered 87 nations and 73 qualities in all. After fulfilling benchmark requirements, Zimbabwe, Cyprus, and Honduras were listed in the rankings for the first time ever in the project’s history. After being removed off the list in 2022, El Salvador was added again.
As part of the rankings package, U.S. News and its partners looked into the world’s attitudes regarding countries that represent a threat to the world, America’s brand strength, Switzerland’s lasting appeal, and changing perceptions of Australia and New Zealand.
Since 2017, Switzerland has been rated first almost all the time. The nation was ranked in the top 10 for half of the subrankings that comprise the final Best Countries rankings this year, and in the top 25 for all ten. Notable results may be seen in three of the categories with the highest weightings: social purpose (No. 8), quality of life (No. 6), and entrepreneurship (No. 6). In the subranking for open business, Switzerland ranked first overall and strongly for cultural influence (No. 8).