In the most recent U.S. News “Best country in the world in 2024”, Canada came in at number four with an overall indexed score of 94.1.
The nation’s high rating was aided by noteworthy accomplishments in the areas of entrepreneurship, social purpose, quality of life, and agility scoring elements.
With an overall indexed score of 100, Switzerland emerged as the winner this year. The following lists the top ten nations for this year’s rankings along with their indexed scores:
| Countries | 2024 Ranking | Indexed score |
|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 1 | 100.00 |
| Japan | 2 | 96.6 |
| The United States of America | 3 | 94.2 |
| Canada | 4 | 94.1 |
| Australia | 5 | 92.9 |
| Sweden | 6 | 91.7 |
| Germany | 7 | 90.6 |
| The United Kingdom | 8 | 87.9 |
| New Zealand | 9 | 86.0 |
| Denmark | 10 | 85.2 |
For the past four years, Canada has been ranked among the top five countries by U.S. News. Canada finished second in the standings of all the countries last year. Even though the country continued to perform well, Canada’s ranking declined mainly because of declines in the “open for business,” “heritage,” and “entrepreneurship” categories; nevertheless, the nation was able to stay in the top five overall thanks to increases in the “movers,” “social purpose,” and “adventure” categories.
In what way does U.S. News rank nations?
Every nation is ranked according to 73 criteria determined by a compilation of “engaged citizens”‘ survey answers. Ten themes were then used to categorize these attributes:
- Movers: Takes into account the degree to which survey participants perceive a nation to be distinct, dynamic, and different;
- Quality of life: Affordability, employment opportunities, political stability, economic stability, family friendliness, income equality, safety, and the effectiveness of the health and education systems are all factors that contribute to one’s quality of life;
- Entrepreneurship: includes being globally connected, having a skilled and educated labor force, having access to opportunities for entrepreneurship, being able to innovate, having easy access to capital, having technological know-how, implementing transparent business practices, creating both traditional and digital infrastructure, and creating legal frameworks;
- Agility: Takes into account how much poll participants believe a nation to be flexible, dynamic, modern, progressive, and responsive;
- Social purpose: The social purpose of a nation encompasses various aspects such as the degree of concern for human rights, animal rights, gender equality, property rights, religious freedom, and social justice. It also includes the existence of reliable institutions, equitable distribution of political power, and racial equity.
- Ease for business: Takes into account how transparent government procedures are, how inexpensive manufacturing costs are, how bureaucratic and corrupt a nation is, and how well-suited it is for established companies looking to develop branches or offices there;
- Cultural influence: includes views on how a nation’s entertainment and culture are perceived on a worldwide scale, as well as how fashionable, modern, trendy, prestigious, and strong its consumer brands are perceived to be;
- Adventure: Takes into account how much a nation is thought of as welcoming, enjoyable, tourist-friendly, scenic, and having a nice climate;
- Power: Takes into account how much a nation is seen as a global leader, having significant economic and political clout, a robust military, and foreign alliances; and
- Heritage: Takes into account how much a nation is thought to be culturally approachable, with a rich past, delicious cuisine, and both natural and man-made attractions.
(The composite scoring factors that US News uses to create their overall country rankings are depicted in the above diagram. Ten major themes are depicted at the center of the figure, with smaller scoring criteria (presented on the edge of the circle) clustered around them.)
How does Canada fare in relation to these criteria?
Canada’s composite scores are broken down according to the topics mentioned in the preceding section in the table below.
| Ranking Theme | Score | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Adventure | 57.5 | #16 |
| Agility | 89.2 | #2 |
| Cultural Influence | 52.6 | #16 |
| Entrepreneurship | 81.9 | #6 |
| Heritage | 41.1 | #30 |
| Movers | 27.2 | #43 |
| Open for Business | 79.8 | #15 |
| Power | 41.2 | #13 |
| Quality of Life | 94.2 | #5 |
| Social Purpose | 97.8 | #3 |
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Canada also does well on a number of other U.S. News rankings. The nation was ranked:
- The only nation in the top ten outside of Europe and Asia, ranking second overall among the best places for corporate headquarters;
- Fourth among nations with the greatest educational systems;
- Fifth overall among nations with the highest perceived transparency (the only non-European nation on the list);
- Sixth overall among nations where individuals could live well in retirement*;
- Fifth overall among nations with the highest racial equity;
- Ranking sixth among all the greatest nations in which to raise a child*;
*The only nation not in Europe or Australasia to be listed on the list for these rankings was Canada.
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