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Best Countries 2023

Which country is the best country? Simple answers to this question are easy to find, but change dramatically depending upon personal opinion and one's definition of the word "best". Is it the country with the most wealth? The one with the greatest personal freedoms? Or perhaps the one with the highest happiness, most Nobel Prize winners, largest actual size, or something else entirely? Scientifically and statistically sound answers, on the other hand, are much more challenging to obtain.

One of the most sophisticated and respected attempts to determine the world's "best" countries is the annual Best Countries rankings, which is generated by the US News and World Report with the help of BAV Group and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. The Best Countries rankings begin with the selection of the 85 countries most likely to appear in the "best" rankings. These countries produce approximately 95% of global gross domestic product and represent almost 80% of the world's population. More than 17,000 surveys are then conducted regarding these nations, with specific attention paid to 73 specific country attributes. The results of these surveys are then compiled to produce a statistically valid, data-backed ranking of the "best" countries.

Top 10 Best Countries (US News and World Report 2022):*

  1. Switzerland
  2. Germany
  3. Canada
  4. United States
  5. Sweden
  6. Japan
  7. Australia
  8. United Kingdom
  9. France
  10. Denmark

*For full rankings of every country in every major category grouping, see the table at page bottom.

Best Countries categories

The 73 country attributes surveyed by the Best Countries rankings can be grouped into 10 overarching subranking categories such as Social Purpose, Power, and Cultural Influence, each of which contribute a weighted percentage of the final country rankings. 68 attributes are listed below. The remaining five attributes tracked are used for purposes other than determining the country rankings, and so are not shown.

CategoryWeightComponents
Adventure5.48%Friendliness, fun, tourism appeal, climate, scenery, sexiness
Agility13.96%Adaptability, progressiveness, responsiveness
Cultural Influence10.36%Modernism, cultural significance of entertainment, fashionability, happiness, cultural influence, strength of consumer brands, prestige, trendiness
Entrepreneurship14.17%Connection to rest of the world, education of population, entrepreneurialism, innovativeness, ease of access to capital, skill of labor force, technological expertise, transparency of business practices, digital infrastructure, physical infrastructure, development of legal framework
Heritage3.09%Cultural accessibility, richness of history, cuisine quality, cultural attractions, geographical attractions
Movers10.57%Dynamism, difference, distinctiveness, uniqueness
Open for Business9.35%Manufacturing costs, favorability of tax environment, degree of bureaucracy, corruption, transparency of government practices
Power5.02%Global leadership, economic influence, strength of exports, political influence, strength of international alliances, strength of military
Quality of Life14.52%Strength of job market, affordability, economic stablity, family-friendliness, income equality, political stability, safety, development of public education system, development of public health system
Social Purpose13.49%Care for animal rights, care for human rights, care about environment, commitment to climate goals, commitment to social justice, gender equality, racial equality, religious freedom, respect for property rights, trustworthiness, distribution of political power

Profiles of the world's best countries

Switzerland

A consistent top performer, Switzerland ranked #4 in 2021 and moved to #1 in 2022. Known for its historic neutrality even during World War II, Switzerland led the world in the Open for Business category in 2022 and also scored in the top ten in the categories of Cultural Influence (8th), Social Purpose (8th), Entrepreneurship (7th), and Quality of Life (4th). Switzerland has low unemployment, a skilled workforce, highly developed financial services and high-tech manufacturing industries, and one of the highest gross domestic products per capita in the world. The Swiss have also collected more patents and [Nobel Prizes] per capita than any other citizenry and enjoy one of the world's longest life expectancies of any country.

Germany

Third in the 2021 overall rankings and second in 2022, Germany posted top-ten scores in the categories of Entrepreneurship (1st), Agility (2nd), Power (4th), Quality of Life (7th), and Social Purpose (9). Germany commands one of the world's largest economies and is a leading importer and exporter. Germany's economy is populated by skilled workers and led by a service sector strong in telecommunications, health care, and tourism.

Canada

Canada took first place in the 2021 rankings and dropped only two spots in 2022. The second-largest country in the world in terms of total area, Canada is the only country among 2022's top five that did not achieve the #1 ranking in at least one of the ten categories. Nonetheless, Canada posted top-ten rankings in Agility (3rd), Entrepreneurship (8th), Open for Business (10th), Quality of Life (3rd), and Social Purpose (5th). Canada boasts a high standard of living and has embraced its multiculturalism admirably. Its economy is driven by a healthy service sector. Canada also has some of the world's largest oil reserves and is one of the world's leading oil producers.

United States

The fourth-best country of 2022 (and sixth-best of 2021) is the United States, which ranked first in both the Agility and Power categories, as well as second in Entrepreneurship and third in Cultural Influence. The reach and impact of the US is significant, from its economic and military influence to its pop culture, spread by music, movies, and television programming. The US has the highest GDP in the world (and the highest GNI/GDI as well), and is one of the most technologically advanced countries. The US also boasts the highest military spending (though arguably not the largest military).

Sweden

Sweden (fifth place in 2022, ninth in 2021) ranked first in both Quality of Life and Social Purpose in 2022, and also ranked high in Open for Business (7th), Entrepreneurship (9th), and Agility (6th). Similar to the Swiss, the people of Sweden enjoy quite high life expectancies and have remained largely neutral through many significant military conflicts. While Sweden's taxes are high compared to many other countries, they are often used to benefit society as a whole, such as providing all citizens with no-cost health care and tuition-free university education. Sweden is also among the world's greenest countries, with a high recycling rate. Swedes are also known to be quite generous, and donate the equivalent to roughly 1% of the country's gross national product to aid programs each year.

Download Table Data

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Country
Overall 2022 Rank
Adventure Rank
Agility Rank
Cultural Influence Rank
Entrepreneurship Rank
Heritage Rank
Movers Rank
Open for Business Rank
Power Rank
Quality of Life Rank
Social Purpose Rank
Switzerland1141687242612048
Germany2422912144234713
Canada31731582863101235
United States43213220275312118
Sweden5196139384672211
Japan628443983981423
Australia78510141929161699
United Kingdom837106414653251212
France912142134413471515
Denmark102972110455362723
New Zealand116820202517935107
Netherlands1213917112660112486
Norway1322172217364753452
Italy1422112112541151919
Finland1523202816465534764
Spain1631252333028191817
China1759111151365122573
Belgium1838192315397512251110
Singapore192015181229108262326
South Korea2051137630137662442
United Arab Emirates21551814185315792661
Austria2221242619158217371311
Ireland2316233024176215521614
Luxembourg244127322256574431716
Greece25429123321136412822
Portugal267222530125220392021
Brazil27126163811967214735
Thailand28535243610713363546
Qatar296425292582370233081
Turkey301532273471461173257
India31484034318537133872
Poland3240284829328546382220
Mexico33936194152158293940
Saudi Arabia347234362847482113464
Egypt35275031456269315455
Russia366631352737168534859
Israel3774304226341581104453
Argentina3811333343183365424629
Malaysia3930384037332214463149
Costa Rica4010433762431819705643
Indonesia4134444542272821323647
South Africa4235393939231974336041
Morocco4324563859161231545270
Czech Republic4443375132497263572724
Croatia4526414344416748782927
Philippines4625464448423718453754
Vietnam4744535440312429304078
Hungary4849515535408155743325
Chile4936455057354542535339
Peru5033624675223433685845
Dominican Republic5118604173553649676250
Colombia5231494763443572406860
Panama533964525659662656748
Romania5445484951487371774336
Sri Lanka5546795766522025566382
Estonia5663547046717624854228
Lithuania5768428454756145835032
Kenya5852715678542344637244
Slovakia5962527949647156804533
Bulgaria6056596752608054794137
Slovenia6158617853678327824931
Ukraine6269476247707878148234
Cambodia6361786470573238595775
Latvia6465638550728422845130
Uruguay6550555960637730815938
Jordan6660655865503164507074
Bahrain6778575355853859606184
Ecuador6847586679585940646956
Tunisia6953766169516943696465
Paraguay7054696380657026766652
Bangladesh7183806864775835445580
Ghana7277746983734352666558
Azerbaijan7373668071744066588067
Cameroon7471706574804950717568
Guatemala7557817284625447737762
Myanmar7676847477763962497483
Zambia7775827385784260757666
Oman7881757568814868627377
Lebanon7967736082615680488371
Algeria8079727772696875618163
Serbia8170678361687979727151
Kazakhstan8284838176835077517979
Iran8385777167665184188585
Uzbekistan8482858281796473558476
Belarus8580687658847483287869
showing: 85 rows

Sources