Switzerland Returns as No. 1 in 2024 Best Countries Rankings

The country retained the top spot while the United States achieved its highest ranking ever.

Like clockwork, the country known for its timepieces, cheese and chocolate has yet again taken the top spot in U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Countries rankings, marking the third year in a row and the seventh time overall Switzerland has placed No. 1.

The central European nation is followed by Japan (No. 2), the United States (No. 3), Canada (No. 4) and Australia (No. 5) in the latest edition of the analysis, released Tuesday.

European countries made up the majority of the top 25, holding 15 spots in the 2024 rankings. Two Middle Eastern countries made that cut – the United Arab Emirates and Qatar – while Asia was represented by Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea.

These Are the 10 Best Countries in the World, According to U.S. News & World Report:

1. Switzerland

2. Japan

3. United States

4. Canada

5. Australia

6. Sweden

7. Germany

8. United Kingdom

9. New Zealand

10. Denmark

The Best Countries rankings and analysis from U.S. News are formed in partnership with global marketing and communications services company WPP and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The project is based on a global survey in which nearly 17,000 people across 36 nations associated various countries with specific attributes, ranging from “dynamic,” “safe” and “a leader” to “cares about human rights,” “economically stable” and “committed to social justice.”

The survey this year contained 73 unique attributes in total and encompassed 89 countries. Kuwait and Iceland were included in the rankings for the first time in the project’s history after meeting benchmark criteria.

The Top 3

Switzerland has ranked No. 1 nearly every year since 2017. This year, it was bolstered by notable performances in three of the heaviest-weighted subrankings: quality of life (No. 3), entrepreneurship (No. 5) and social purpose (No. 7).

Switzerland also rated highly in the open for business subranking (No. 2) and for cultural influence (No. 8). In the heaviest-weighted movers subranking, it landed at No. 19 among the 89 countries ranked, though that marked a jump of four spots from 2023. Its lowest ranking was No. 29, in heritage.

Japan climbed four spots to reach No. 2 overall – a spot it last held in 2021. Similar to Switzerland, the country performed well in heavily weighted subrankings such as entrepreneurship (No. 3) and movers (No. 8).

At the attribute level, the home of companies like Toyota and Sony ranked No. 1 for a number of characteristics, including for being innovative, modern and educated and for having technological expertise.

The U.S. climbed two spots in the rankings from No. 5 in 2023 to No. 3 this year, landing in the top trio for the first time in the project’s nine-year history. Ahead of a small drop last year, the country steadily climbed from No. 8 to No. 4 between 2019 and 2022. The United States was at or near the top in several subrankings, coming in at No. 1 for power and agility, No. 2 for entrepreneurship and No. 3 for cultural influence.

Climbs and Falls

Historically, top-performing nations in the Best Countries rankings have tended to see less volatility year over year, while nations farther down the list are more likely to see double-digit changes. Among the top 25, Finland (-6 spots) and Belgium (-5 spots) saw the largest drops in the rankings since 2023, while China and Japan saw the largest increases, both up four spots year over year.

With the exceptions of Finland (-6), Belgium (-5), Israel (-10) and South Africa (+6), the remaining countries in the top 50 stayed within four spots of their 2023 rankings. No. 22 Iceland was new to the list this year, meaning it was not ranked in 2023.