- According to U.S. News & World Report and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Switzerland ranks first in the world.
- Japan holds second, while the United States achieves its highest ranking ever, and Denmark enters the top 10.
WASHINGTON, September 10, 2024 — According to the Best Countries rankings and analysis project by U.S. News & World Report and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Switzerland has been ranked as the best country in the world for the third year in a row.
The 2024 Best Countries analysis evaluates 89 nations across 73 attributes, grouped into ten sub-rankings covering entrepreneurship, quality of life, adventure, and heritage. This year, the sub-ranking of movers, which includes factors related to a country’s future growth, carries the most weight.
“Amid shifting global dynamics and heightened geopolitical awareness, the 2024 Best Countries rankings provide a comprehensive snapshot of how nations are perceived on the world stage,” said U.S. News Executive Chairman & CEO Eric Gertler. “The report sheds light on a country’s potential for economic, political, and cultural success and can serve as a strategic decision-making tool for citizens, business leaders, and governments to evaluate their countries better.”
Switzerland has earned the No. 1 spot for the seventh time annually from 2017 to 2020. Switzerland performed exceptionally well in the sub-rankings for being open for business, quality of life, and entrepreneurship. Japan rose four spots to claim the No. 2 position, with modest gains in the movers, open for business, and adventure sub-rankings.
The United States has climbed two spots to No. 3, its best performance in the history of the Best Countries rankings, with a notable increase in the “open for business” sub-ranking. The country also ranked No. 20 in the “movers” sub-ranking, another historically high performance. Rounding out the top 5 Best Countries are Canada at No. 4 and Australia at No. 5. Denmark has rejoined the top 10 after a year’s hiatus, jumping three spots from 2023.
Key themes from the 2024 Best Countries Survey and Report:
- Elections in the United States shape global outcomes:
86% of respondents agreed that U.S. elections impact the world. Nearly half thought Donald Trump would negatively impact if elected, while about 34% believed he would have a positive effect. Note: Kamala Harris was not the Democratic candidate at the time of the survey.
- Global support for Ukraine has diminished over time: In 2022, 72% of respondents generally favored their own country’s support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia. However, this support decreased to 67% in 2023 and dropped to less than 66% in 2024.
- The level of global optimism about artificial intelligence differs between Western and Eastern countries: Over 80% of survey respondents in China, Vietnam, and Thailand somewhat agreed that the benefits of artificial intelligence outweigh the threats. In contrast, many Western nations were more skeptical about A.I.
- Global support for immigration continues to decrease: Fifty-seven percent of respondents, down from 59% in 2023, agreed to some extent with the statement, “My country should be more open to immigration.”
- International support for gender equality remains strong despite generational gaps: Eighty-nine percent of respondents believe that women should have the same rights as men, slightly down from about 90% in 2023.
- Perception of the global economy is improving: Seventy-seven percent of respondents agreed to some extent with the statement, “The global economy is in decline,” compared with 80% in 2023 and 82.5% in 2022.
The 2024 Best Countries rankings methodology is based on a proprietary survey of nearly 17,000 global citizens from 36 countries, including business leaders, college-educated individuals who are middle-class or higher, and general citizens nationally representative of their country.
“The Best Countries report stresses the significance of a strong global image as nations compete for foreign trade, tourists, and socioeconomic influence,” said David Reibstein, a marketing professor at the Wharton School. “World leaders need to recognize that their countries’ perceptions impact their economies through tourism, foreign direct investment, and foreign trade, critical components of GDP.”
The Best Countries rankings are part of U.S. News’ Government Rankings initiative, which measures government performance at the international, state, and local levels and includes the Best States and Healthiest Communities projects.
- 2024 Best Countries Rankings
Overall (Top 50)
- Switzerland
- Japan
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
- Sweden
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- New Zealand
- Denmark
- Norway
- France
- Netherlands
- Singapore
- Italy
- China
- United Arab Emirates
- South Korea
- Spain
- Finland
- Austria
- Iceland
- Belgium
- Ireland
- Qatar
- Greece
- Luxembourg
- Thailand
- Portugal
- Brazil
- Turkey
- Saudi Arabia
- India
- Mexico
- Egypt
- Russia
- Poland
- Malaysia
- Morocco
- South Africa
- Indonesia
- Argentina
- Costa Rica
- Vietnam
- Philippines
- Israel
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Peru
- Czechia
- Quality of Life
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Adventure
- Brazil
- Italy
- Greece
- Movers
- United Arab Emirates
- China
- Qatar
- Heritage
- Greece
- Italy
- Spain
- Racial Equity
- Denmark
- Finland
- New Zealand
- Green Living
- Sweden
- Finland
- Switzerland
U.S. News & World Report is a global leader in quality rankings, empowering consumers, business leaders, and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives and communities. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school. It aims to shape the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. Each year, 13,000 professionals worldwide advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a robust global network of leaders who transform business daily.
Source: U.S. News & World Report, L.P.
CitiTimes 