The Zermatt ski resort is framed by the Matterhorn mountain in Zermatt, Switzerland, on March 25. For the third year in a row, Switzerland has placed No. 1. in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Countries rankings.
Like clockwork, the country known for its timepieces, cheese and chocolate has yet again taken the top spot in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Countries rankings, marking the third year in a row and the seventh time overall Switzerland has placed No. 1.
The central European nation is followed by Japan (No. 2), the United States (No. 3), Canada (No. 4) and Australia (No. 5) in the latest edition of the analysis, released Tuesday.
European countries made up the majority of the top 25, holding 15 spots in the 2024 rankings. Two Middle Eastern countries made that cut – the United Arab Emirates and Qatar – while Asia was represented by Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea.
These Are the 10 Best Countries in the World, According to U.S. News & World Report:
1. Switzerland
2. Japan
3. United States
4. Canada
5. Australia
6. Sweden
7. Germany
8. United Kingdom
9. New Zealand
10. Denmark
The Best Countries rankings and analysis from U.S. News are formed in partnership with global marketing and communications services company WPP and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The project is based on a global survey in which nearly 17,000 people across 36 nations associated various countries with specific attributes, ranging from “dynamic,” “safe” and “a leader” to “cares about human rights,” “economically stable” and “committed to social justice.”
The survey this year contained 73 unique attributes in total and encompassed 89 countries. Kuwait and Iceland were included in the rankings for the first time in the project’s history after meeting benchmark criteria.
The Top 3
Switzerland has ranked No. 1 nearly every year since 2017. This year, it was bolstered by notable performances in three of the heaviest-weighted subrankings: quality of life (No. 3), entrepreneurship (No. 5) and social purpose (No. 7). Switzerland also rated highly in the open for business subranking (No. 2) and for cultural influence (No. 8). In the heaviest-weighted movers subranking, it landed at No. 19 among the 89 countries ranked, though that marked a jump of four spots from 2023. Its lowest ranking was No. 29, in heritage.
Japan climbed four spots to reach No. 2 overall – a spot it last held in 2021. Similar to Switzerland, the country performed well in heavily weighted subrankings such as entrepreneurship (No. 3) and movers (No. 8). At the attribute level, the home of companies like Toyota and Sony ranked No. 1 for a number of characteristics, including for being innovative, modern and educated and for having technological expertise.
The U.S. climbed two spots in the rankings from No. 5 in 2023 to No. 3 this year, landing in the top trio for the first time in the project’s nine-year history. Ahead of a small drop last year, the country steadily climbed from No. 8 to No. 4 between 2019 and 2022. The United States was at or near the top in several subrankings, coming in at No. 1 for power and agility, No. 2 for entrepreneurship and No. 3 for cultural influence.
Climbs and Falls
Historically, top-performing nations in the Best Countries rankings have tended to see less volatility year over year, while nations farther down the list are more likely to see double-digit changes. Among the top 25, Finland (-6 spots) and Belgium (-5 spots) saw the largest drops in the rankings since 2023, while China and Japan saw the largest increases, both up four spots year over year.
With the exceptions of Finland (-6), Belgium (-5), Israel (-10) and South Africa (+6), the remaining countries in the top 50 stayed within four spots of their 2023 rankings. No. 22 Iceland was new to the list this year, meaning it was not ranked in 2023.
Conflict in the Middle East
Along with assessing countries in relation to various attributes, respondents to the Best Countries survey also were shown statements gauging their opinions on key world issues. For example, more than 80% of respondents agreed to some extent with the statement, “I fear conflicts in the Middle East will lead to a broader global conflict.”
Notably, the survey was first fielded in late March, approximately five months after fighters from the terror group Hamas crossed the border into Israel and killed around 1,200 people while taking hundreds of others hostage. Aiming to eradicate Hamas, Israel’s retaliatory attacks have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, sparking intense international criticism and continued calls for a cease-fire.
In the Best Countries rankings, Israel fell 10 spots year over year to reach No. 46 in 2024, marking its lowest ranking since the project’s inception in 2016. Though annual shifts should be interpreted with caution – given changes in weights used within the rankings and that one country’s poor performance in a particular area could cause another to rise without doing anything, or vice versa – Israel worsened in perceptions tied to multiple attributes, including adaptable (-17), politically stable (-16) and cares about human rights (-10).
“Israel’s standing on the world stage will be drastically affected by this conflict, but I hesitate to say it will be entirely negative,” says Clionadh Raleigh, CEO and president of Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a nonprofit that operates a site tracking political violence and protest activity worldwide. “The reason being is that other rising powers and regional power-brokers are far less critical about how Israel has gone about this conflict and (I think) will seek to resuscitate their new, stronger relationship as soon as time allows.”
Israel’s double-digit fall was the third-largest in the rankings, topped only by Bahrain – which fell 11 spots year over year to No. 69, and has faced a delicate balance in light of the war in Gaza and its ties to Israel – and Ukraine, which saw a decline of 12 spots.
Russia vs. Ukraine
Ukraine’s year-over-year fall to No. 80 from No. 68 marked the largest decrease of any country between 2023 and 2024. The Eastern European nation was invaded by Russia in early 2022, after which it saw its ranking climb nine spots. But since then it, too, has fallen to its lowest ranking in project history. At the same time, since 2022, the share of global survey respondents agreeing to some extent with the statement, “My country should be supportive of Ukraine in their defense against Russia” has declined as well, from 72% two years ago to roughly 66% now.
Source: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/us-news-unveils-best-countries-rankings
