A country’s perceived global standing is tied to various factors, from its strength in the military and economic spheres to the quality of life experienced by its residents.
The 2023 Best Countries rankings from U.S. News reflect perceptions of 87 countries based on a survey of more than 17,000 global citizens, with respondents tying countries to dozens of different attributes within 10 subrankings that include power, cultural influence, heritage and social purpose. Scores resulting from those associations led to the overall list of the world’s best countries, along with almost 100 other unique rankings.
No. 25: Portugal
A southwestern European country located on the edge of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal receives its highest marks in the adventure and heritage subrankings as it jumps one spot into the top 25 overall for 2023. Portugal also ranks No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, when it comes to perceptions of having a pleasant climate and being culturally accessible.
No. 24: Luxembourg
Luxembourg, located in Western Europe, might be one of the smallest countries in the world, but it’s also among the wealthiest. It’s fitting, then, that the country ranks second in the open for business subranking – rising two spots on that list from 2022.
No. 23: Ireland
An island nation west of Great Britain, Ireland sports top 15 performances in the adventure, quality of life and social purpose subrankings. It also finished in the top 10 for a number of attributes, including happiness.
No. 22: Austria
Austria, landlocked in central Europe, performs best in the quality of life and social purpose subrankings. It’s also considered a safe country, ranking sixth for that attribute based on the perceptions of survey respondents.
No. 21: South Korea
An East Asian nation occupying the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea boasts top 10 finishes in four subrankings: entrepreneurship, cultural influence, power and movers. It fell one spot in the overall rankings compared with 2022.
No. 20: China
The People’s Republic of China – the massive East Asian nation that’s one of the most populous in the world – fell from its No. 17 ranking in 2022. But it still holds important global standing, evidenced by its No. 2 finish in the power subranking.
No. 19: United Arab Emirates
A Middle Eastern country located on the southeast portion of the Arabian Peninsula, the UAE jumped two spots from 2022 and into the top 20 for 2023. It is the top-ranked country in the movers subranking, which assesses nations’ prospects for economic growth.
No. 18: Belgium
A small nation in Western Europe, Belgium performs best in the quality of life, social purpose and open for business subrankings. It also ranks first for the attribute indicating respect for property rights, and third for perceived political stability.
No. 17: Spain
Portugal’s neighbor on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has three top 5 subranking finishes: No. 4 in cultural influence, No. 4 in adventure and No. 3 in heritage. The country did, however, fall one spot from No. 16 in 2022 in the overall rankings.
No. 16: Singapore
Singapore, a bustling metropolis in Southeast Asia, rose three spots in the overall rankings year over year. It ranks No. 5 in agility – a subranking that captures sentiments about a country’s adaptability – and No. 7 in the open for business subranking.
No. 15: Italy
A south-central European country that juts into the Mediterranean Sea, Italy boasts two No. 1 subranking performances in cultural influence and heritage. The country also ranks second in adventure, and boasts top rankings for multiple attributes, including fashionable and family-friendly.
No. 14: Finland
The Nordic country in northern Europe performs best in the social purpose and open for business subrankings, with No. 3 finishes in both. It also ranks No. 5 for quality of life, a category dominated by countries in Scandinavia.
No. 13: Denmark
A Scandinavian nation, Denmark ranks in the top 5 in both the social purpose and quality of life subrankings. It is also the top country perceived as caring about human rights.
No. 12: France
Located in Western Europe and one of the world’s oldest countries, France slid three spots and out of the top 10 overall in 2023. Its cultural influence remains strong, however, with a No. 2 performance in that subranking. France also finished No. 4 for heritage.
No. 11: Norway
Another Scandinavian nation to make the top 25, Norway ranks second in two subrankings – social purpose and quality of life – and No. 5 in another, open for business. The country also jumped two spots year over year in the overall rankings.
No. 10: Netherlands
The Netherlands, situated in northwestern Europe, posts top 10 performances in three subrankings: social purpose, quality of life and agility. It also ranks first for the gender equality attribute.
No. 9: United Kingdom
Ireland’s neighbor to the east, the U.K. – which includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – ranks in the top 5 in two subrankings – entrepreneurship and power – and is No. 6 in cultural influence. It dropped one spot overall compared with 2022.
No. 8: New Zealand
An island nation in Oceania located southeast of Australia, New Zealand jumped three spots in the overall rankings and into the top 10. It boasts top 10 performances in five subrankings: social purpose, open for business, quality of life, adventure and agility.
No. 7: Germany
Germany – situated in Central Europe and the most populous country in the European Union – slid five places from the No. 2 spot in 2022. Still, it ranks No. 2 in entrepreneurship and No. 4 in power. Germany also ranks first for four attributes: good job market, skilled labor force, well-developed infrastructure and well-distributed political power.
No. 6: Japan
East Asian archipelago Japan is one of two top 10 countries that stayed in the same spot year over year. It lands in the top 10 in five subrankings, including a No. 3 ranking in entrepreneurship. Japan also ranks first for five attributes, including educated population.
No. 5: United States
Located in North America between Canada and Mexico, the world’s largest economy and most dominant military power dropped one spot compared with 2022, but remains in the top 5. The U.S. ranks No. 1 in three subrankings: entrepreneurship, power and agility.
No. 4: Australia
New Zealand’s neighbor in Oceania also rose three spots year over year in the overall rankings. But Australia’s jump put it in the top 5, with top 10 finishes in four subrankings, including No. 3 in agility. The country also ranks first for the attribute friendly.
No. 3: Sweden
The highest-ranked Scandinavian country, Sweden moved up two spots from its No. 5 performance in 2022. It boasts No. 1 performances in two subrankings, social purpose and quality of life, and top 10 finishes in three others.
No. 2: Canada
The United States’ neighbor to the north, Canada supplants Germany this year as the No. 2-ranked country. Its highest sub ranking finish came in agility at No. 2, but it also lands in the top 5 in three other sub rankings, including quality of life. Canada ranks first for several attributes, including racial equity.
No. 1: Switzerland
Switzerland is No. 1 in the Best Countries rankings for the second consecutive year and sixth year overall. The small Central European country finished first in the open for business sub ranking. But it’s also in the top 10 in four other sub rankings, and ranks first in the attribute assessing perceptions of a country’s safety.
