These are the 10 best countries in the world in 2019
For the third consecutive year, Switzerland is the world’s best country, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.
The publication’s annual ranking compiles responses from more than 20,000 survey participants. Business leaders and citizens from 36 countries evaluate 80 nations according to 75 metrics such as quality of life, economic influence, power, education and eco-friendliness, among other factors.
Japan saw the biggest jump in rankings this year, moving from No. 5 in 2018 to No. 2 in 2019.
Deidre McPhillips, senior data editor at U.S. News & World Report, tells CNBC Make It that global perceptions of Japan improved in five of the nine broad categories that comprise the overall Best Countries ranking.
Japan also rose to the top spot on the publication’s entrepreneurship list, an achievement McPhillips says is “particularly impressive” and driven by metrics such as innovation.
While 2019’s list is largely unchanged in comparison to 2018’s, there is one newcomer. This year, the Netherlands dropped to the 11th spot, making way for Norway, one of several Nordic countries to make a strong showing.
U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings are part of an analysis project called the 2019 Best Countries Report, one that “speaks to the value of having a strong global standing as nations compete for investment, tourists and influence,” Wharton professor of marketing David Reibstein said in the report’s press release.
“Today’s consumers have infinite choices on where to invest their capital and time,” U.S. News & World Report executive chairman Eric Gertler tells CNBC Make It. Lists like this one arm citizens and thought leaders with the data to “help make important business and life decisions.”
Now in its fourth year, the project is conducted in partnership with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and global consumer insights firm Y&R’s BAV Group.
Here are the top 10 best countries in the 2019, according to U.S. News & World Report:
