For the third consecutive year, Switzerland has held on to its title as the world’s best country, according to a new ranking from US News and World Report.
With the world’s every move scrutinized by a 24-hour news cycle, any country wanting to improve its image must consistently demonstrate its economic, industrial, social and political worth.
Seeking to examine a nation’s worth beyond hard metrics alone, US News & World Report’s fourth annual ‘2019 Best Countries’ rankings surveyed more than 20,000 global citizens to gauge their perceptions of 80 nations.
The study, developed by BAV Group and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, asked participants to score each country out of 10 based on 65 attributes that contribute to its success on the global stage.
These attributes were grouped into nine sub-rankings: Adventure, Citizenship, Cultural Influence, Entrepreneurship, Heritage, Movers, Open for Business, Power and Quality of Life.
The Czech Republic has gone down from 33th to 41st place. Although the Czech Republic is very well evaluated in many rankings, we have little influence in the world (68th place), and we even reach 78th place in how our dynamics, the ability to accept new challenges and the uniqueness of development are perceived.
Compared with 2018, the 2019 list remains largely unchanged except for newcomer Norway, which rose to number nine, from 12 last year, and bumped the Netherlands down to 11th place.
While the US held its number eight spot and topped the list as the most powerful country in the world, China’s progression in recent decades has been reflected in its rise from 20th to 16th place this year.
Top 25 ranking:
1. Switzerland
2. Japan
3. Canada
4. Germany
5. Great Britain
6. Sweden
7. Australia
8. USA
9. Norway
10. France
11. The Netherlands
12. New Zealand
13. Denmark
14. Finland
15. Singapore
16. China
17. Belgium
18. Italy
19. Luxembourg
20. Spain
21. Ireland
22. South Korea
23. United Arab Emirates
24. Russia
25. Portugal
Suggested reading: The best countries for business formation really depends on the goals of the business. Yet the US remains popular with multi-nationals – many which prefer setting up their LLC in Texas or some other states with low taxes.
