Switzerland ranked as the best country in the world

Switzerland has been ranked as the world's best country by the US News magazine and World Report in it's recently released annual '2017 Best Countries Ranking'.


Switzerland unseated Germany to sit top of the ranking ahead of Canada in second place and United Kingdom in third place.

The rankings were determined by evaluating 80 countries — 60 more than last year — across a range of criteria, from power and economic influence to citizenship and quality of life, to capture how nations are perceived on a global scale.
 

According to the ranking by US News and World Report, Switzerland which it said is "a sanctuary for calm reason, "is highly regarded for its citizenship, business climate and quality of life.

Switzerland "appears to offer a respite from a liberal Western-led political order upended by populist sentiments and strongman politics", it added.

Germany is in fourth ahead of Japan in fifth and the US in seventh, dropping from fourth.

Countries at the bottom of the 80-country ranking are Algeria, Iran and Serbia.

The survey was sent out to about 21,000 people from 36 countries in all regions of the world. and were asked to assess how closely they associated 65 attributes with a nation.


Here's the best 10
1. Switzerland: "A sanctuary for calm reason... appears to offer a respite from a liberal Western-led political order upended by populist sentiments and strongman politics"
2. Canada: "A high-tech industrial society with a high standard of living"
3. United Kingdom: "The nation has a long history of major contributions to the arts and sciences"
4. Germany: "Possesses one of the largest economies in the world and ... a highly skilled, affluent workforce"
5. Japan: "One of the world's most literate and technically advanced nations"
6. Sweden: "Health care, as well as a college education, are free, and its people boast one of the longest life expectancies in the world"
7. United States: "The world's most dominant economic and military power... Its cultural imprint spans the world, led in large part by its popular culture expressed in music, movies and television"
8. Australia: "The nation has a high rate of participation in sporting activities and boasts a comparatively high life expectancy. Its major cities routinely score well in global livability surveys"
9. France: "Its reach extends around the globe through science, politics, economics and perhaps above all, culture."
10. Norway: "Norway is a high income nation with a vibrant private sector and a substantial safety net"

Making the top 20 is
11. Netherlands
12. Denmark
13. Finland
14. New Zealand
15. Singapore
16. Italy
17. Luxembourg
18. Austria
19. Spain
20. China