The 25 best countries in the world
Learn More about
Best Countries
Don't see your
country here? See the full list of the 2020 Best Countries and
explore how nations did in areas like Power, Citizenship and Adventure.
No. 1: Switzerland
For the fourth year
in a row, Switzerland is considered the No. 1 Best Country. The
country, well-known for its history of neutrality, ranks No. 7 in citizenship and
No. 2 in being open for business.
No. 2: Canada
Canada, the
second-largest country in the world in terms of landmass, ranks No. 2 overall.
It takes the top spot in its perceived quality of life and No. 2 in
terms of the best countries to headquarter a corporation.
No. 3: Japan
Japan jumps
two positions from 2018 to rank No. 3 overall. It is the highest-ranked Asian
country and it ranks No. 5 among movers and No. 1 as the most forward-looking country.
No. 4: Germany
Germany is
ranked No. 4 overall and lands in the top five for its perceived sense of entrepreneurship, power and international
influence. The country's leader, Chancellor Angela Merkel, has one of the
highest global approval ratings among prominent global leaders.
No. 5: Australia
Australia is
the No. 5 Best Country overall. The Land Down Under – No. 5 in its perceived quality
of life and No. 8 in its cultural Influence – also ranks in the
top 10 in many areas, including education, comfortable retirement and
the best country to travel alone.
No. 6: United Kingdom
The U.K. ranks
No. 6 overall. The nation that is facing departure from the European Union fell
one spot overall, but moved up a spot in its perceived entrepreneurship compared
to the 2019 rankings. It maintained its No. 5 spot in its cultural
influence.
No. 7: United States
The U.S. ranked
No. 7 overall, moving up one spot from 2019. The country with the largest
economy in the world is also considered the most powerful. It ranks No. 3
in entrepreneurship and No. 4 in its cultural influence, as
well.
No. 8: Sweden
Sweden, one of the
most generous countries in terms of contributing funds to humanitarian aid,
ranks No. 8 overall. The country is considered No. 1 for citizenship and
No. 3 in its perceived quality of life.
No. 9: Netherlands
The Netherlands moved
up two spots this year to rank No. 9 overall. The Dutch were the first to legalize
same-sex marriage, and national policies on drugs and abortion are liberal;
their country ranks No. 6 in offering a top quality of life.
No. 10: Norway
Norway, which has
twice rejected European Union membership, ranks No. 10 overall. The country
takes the No. 3 spot for citizenship and is the No. 2 best country
for transparency.
No. 11: New Zealand
New Zealand is
the No. 11 Best Country overall, faring one spot better than last year. The
country's education expenditures as a percent of gross domestic product are
among the highest in the world, and it ranks No. 14 in the best countries
for education. It is also considered the No. 1 country to retire
comfortably.
No. 12: France
France, one of the
most visited countries in the world, ranks No. 12 overall. It is No. 2 in its cultural
influence and No. 6 in power.
No. 13: Denmark
Norway's Nordic
neighbor, Denmark, ranks No. 13 overall. It is considered the No. 1 best
country for women and raising kids and it is the No. 5 best
country to headquarter a corporation.
No. 14: Finland
Finland ranks
No. 14 overall for the third year. The country maintains top five spots in
being one of the best countries for raising kids, women, transparency and
offering green living.
No. 15: China
China, one of the
world's most populous countries, jumps four spots this year to rank No. 15
overall. It is considered to be the third-most powerful country as
well as the third-best country in which to start a business.
No. 16: Singapore
Singapore, ranked
No. 16 overall, boasts one of the world's highest gross domestic products per
capita. Considered one of Asia's four economic tigers, the country ranks No. 4
in being one of the best countries to start a business and No. 5 in
being open for business.
No. 17: Italy
Italy ranks
No. 17 overall, falling two spots from 2018. Known for its many historical
cities, world-renown cuisine and geographic beauty, the country takes top spots
in heritage and cultural influence.
Austria,
ranking No. 18 overall, returns to the list of the Best Countries for the first
time since 2018. The country is considered the No. 10 best country for raising
kids and the No. 12 for citizenship.
Austria,
ranking No. 18 overall, returns to the list of the Best Countries for the first
time since 2018. The country is considered the No. 10 best country for raising
kids and the No. 12 for citizenship.
South
Korea ranks No. 20 overall and is considered the No. 3 most forward-looking country
and the No. 8 best country for entrepreneurship.
Luxembourg ranks
No. 21 overall. Despite stricter tax codes that hit the European Union in 2015,
the country ranks No. 1 in being open for business and No. 5 in Best
Countries to retire comfortably.
The United
Arab Emirates, one of the most liberal of the Gulf states, ranks No. 22
overall. It is No. 1 in movers and No. 11 in power.
Russia,
ranking No. 23, is seen as both the second-most powerful country and
the fourth-most influential country in the world.
Portugal,
ranked No. 24 overall, is considered to be one of the best countries to travel
alone. It also ranks highly as one of the best countries to retire
comfortably, at No. 7.
India ranked
No. 25 overall, joins the top 25 Best Countries moving up two spots from 2019.
It is the world’s second most-populous nation and considered to be one of the
best countries to travel to for studies, at No. 4
Post a Comment