WASHINGTON, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ -- Switzerland debuted
as the best country in the world, according to the 2017 Best
Countries report, a joint rankings and analysis project from U.S.
News & World Report, Y&R's BAV Consulting and the Wharton
School of the University of
Pennsylvania. Now in its second year, the rankings evaluate
80 countries – up from 60 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.
Key findings from the 2017 Best Countries Report:
- Worldwide civil and political unrest in 2016 had varying
effects on the Best Overall Countries. Canada remained No. 2 on the list. The U.K.
held fast to its third-place position, suggesting that the initial
shock of its vote to leave the European Union may have stabilized.
Germany, last year's No. 1 best
overall country, slipped to No. 4 after dips in three important
categories: open for business, citizenship and quality of life. The
nation was rocked by a range of events – from growing public
anxiety over an influx of refugees to a string of deadly terror
attacks.
- Japan moved up two positions
to No. 5 this year, speaking to its stability. The nation scores in
the top 10 for categories including entrepreneurship, up-and-coming
economies and countries with the most cultural influence.
- The U.S. fell three positions to No. 7. The nation ranked lower
across multiple categories, including best for business,
citizenship, adventure tourism, education, transparency and
headquartering a corporation. While nearly 75 percent of survey
respondents said they lost some respect for U.S. leadership after
the 2016 presidential election, the U.S. remained No. 1 on the list
of most powerful countries, closely followed by Russia at No. 2.
- Nordic nations – known for their forward-looking social and
environmental policies – continue to dominate the rankings, with
Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark in the top 15 overall. Sweden is named the best country for women,
for raising children and for green living.
- Countries in Asia and the
Middle East have the most
up-and-coming economies, with the United
Arab Emirates ranked No. 1. Thailand remains No. 1 for starting a
business, and Malaysia is the best
to invest in.
- Switzerland is the best to
headquarter a corporation, and New
Zealand is the best for retirement. Panama is the most business-friendly nation,
while Canada takes the top spots
for education and quality of life. Italy again ranks as the nation with the
richest tradition and Brazil is
the No. 1 country to visit.
"We wanted to capture how tumultuous political change can affect
a country's perceived standing in the world," said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of
U.S. News. "Similar to what we have done with hospitals,
universities and other institutions, the Best Countries portal
pairs fact-based metrics with storytelling to help citizens,
business leaders and governments better evaluate their countries
and make sense of a range of important global issues."
The 2017 Best Countries ranking methodology relies on data
gathered from a proprietary perception survey – conducted after the
U.S. presidential election – of more than 21,000 business leaders,
informed elites and general citizens.
"The Best Countries project allows us to chart how global
perceptions of a country affect its prosperity," said David Reibstein, a professor of marketing at the
Wharton School. "We've learned that a focus on education and
citizenship – including human rights, gender equality, religious
freedom and more – can drive prosperity more than traditional forms
of power, like military prowess."
John Gerzema, chairman and CEO of
Y&R's BAV Consulting, added: "Our data captured widespread
global concern for the social and geopolitical changes that cast
many nations into uncertainty and turmoil. The new rankings reflect
people's desire to restore some sense of order by rewarding nations
they perceive as championing neutrality, stability and
diplomacy."
The Best Countries rankings are the centerpiece of the growing
U.S. News Best Countries portal, a platform combining in-depth
editorial content, interactive data visualization tools, video,
photos and op-eds from global experts in government, business and
academia. The new platform is part of the expanding News channel at
U.S. News, which includes the new Best States project, unveiled in
February.
2017 Best Countries Rankings
*See the full rankings here
Overall
|
|
1.
Switzerland
|
6. Sweden
|
2. Canada
|
7. United
States
|
3. United
Kingdom
|
8.
Australia
|
4. Germany
|
9. France
|
5. Japan
|
10. Norway
|
To Start a
Business
1.
Thailand
2. China
3.
Malaysia
|
To Headquarter a
Corporation
1.
Switzerland
2. Canada
3.
Australia
|
Most
Powerful
1. United
States
2. Russia
3.
China
|
For
Women
1. Sweden
2. Denmark
3. Norway
|
For
Education
1. Canada
2. United
Kingdom
3. Germany
|
For Comfortable
Retirement
1. New
Zealand
2.
Australia
3.
Switzerland
|
Follow the Best Countries coverage on Facebook, Twitter and
LinkedIn using #BestCountries.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News &
World Report is a global digital news and information company that
empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about
important issues affecting their lives. Focusing on Education,
Health, Personal Finance, Travel, Cars and News & Opinion,
USNews.com provides consumer advice, rankings, news and analysis to
serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of
life. More than 30 million people visit USNews.com each month for
research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered
in Washington, D.C.
About Y&R's BAV Consulting
Y&R, part of WPP
(NASDAQ: WPPGY), is one of the leading and most iconic global
marketing communications companies. Operating as a Global Boutique,
Y&R connects deep insights from businesses and consumers with
strategies and objectives that reach across borders. With 189
offices in 93 countries, clients include Campbell's Soup Company,
Danone, Dell and Xerox. Y&R's BAV Consulting is a global
advisory practice specializing in corporate, brand and marketing
strategies and customer insights using the
BrandAsset® Valuator. The leading quantitative
study of brand and consumers and largest database of brand
perceptions, BAV contains ratings on over 56,000 brands on 75
consistent metrics that span 23 years, 51 countries and more than
1.2 million respondents. For more information, visit www.yr.com and
www.bavconsulting.com.
About the Wharton School
Founded in 1881 as the first
collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized globally
for intellectual leadership and ongoing innovation across every
major discipline of business education. With a broad global
community and one of the most published business school faculties,
Wharton creates economic and
social value around the world. The School has 5,000 undergraduate,
MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students; more than 9,000
participants in executive education programs annually and a
powerful alumni network of 94,000 graduates. For more information,
visit http://seicenter.wharton.upenn.edu.
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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report