In the annual listing for 2023, Canada proudly occupies the second position among the world’s best countries, surpassing Germany and only trailing behind Switzerland, according to a ranking by U.S. News. This intricate evaluation process that determined the rankings involved 87 countries and revolved around the responses from more than 17,000 citizens across the globe.
U.S. News scrutinized an array of factors – from the military and economic strength of a country to the living quality of its citizens – in forming these prestigious rankings. Respondents were further prompted to associate different attributes like power, cultural influence, heritage, and social impact with various countries. The subsequent scores from these associations facilitated in devising a list of the top global countries alongside almost a hundred other distinct rankings.
For this year, Canada’s remarkable agility caused it to rise to the second spot. However, it yielded to Switzerland again, which retained its title of the best country in the world in 2023. Canada also demonstrated its excellence by securing places among the top five in three additional sub-rankings, including quality of life, and notably claimed the top spot in racial equity.
Switzerland holds the undisputed title of the world’s best country for the second year in a row and the sixth occasion overall. This small European nation’s economic prowess shines through the “Open for Business” sub-ranking. Moreover, it continues to dominate the top 10 in four other sub-rankings and holds the prime position in relation to perceived country safety.
Closely following is Sweden at the third spot, earning an impressive stride of two positions up from its ranking in the previous year. Its exceptional accolades include securing the top position in two sub-rankings: social purpose and quality of life, while maintaining a robust presence in the top 10 in three other spheres.
Eclipsing its previous year’s position by three ranks, Australia comes in at fourth. Meanwhile, Canada’s southern neighbor, the United States, lands at the fifth spot, marking a mild dip from its 2022 ranking. Demonstrating strength across multiple areas, the U.S. manages to hold the pinnacle position in three critical sub-rankings: entrepreneurship, power, and agility.
The entire top 25 list for the “Best Countries in 2023,” as judged by U.S. News, is as follows: Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, Australia, United States, Japan, Germany, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Norway, France, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Belgium, United Arab Emirates, China, South Korea, Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Portugal.
