– Justin Trudeau, Angela Merkel viewed as most respected world
leaders; Donald Trump and Vladimir
Putin least respected on global stage –
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- Switzerland held
its position as the No. 1 country in the world, according to the
2018 Best Countries report, a rankings and analysis project by U.S.
News & World Report, Y&R's BAV Group and the Wharton School
of the University of Pennsylvania. In
its third year, the rankings evaluate 80 countries across a range
of criteria, from economic influence and power to citizenship and
quality of life, to capture how nations are perceived on a global
scale.
For the first time, respondents were asked their opinions of
major world leaders. Canada's
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel are viewed as the most respected
globally, while U.S. President Donald
Trump and Russian President Vladimir
Putin saw the highest disapproval ratings. Among top
business leaders, Eric Schmidt,
executive chairman of Google's parent company Alphabet, was the
most respected.
"U.S. News is known globally for its in-depth rankings of
complex institutions, like university and hospital systems," said
Brian Kelly, editor and chief
content officer at U.S. News. "We're taking the same approach with
governments to help citizens, business executives and policymakers
better evaluate their countries and their leadership."
Key Findings in the 2018 Best Countries Report:
- Switzerland is No. 1, followed
by No. 2 Canada, as countries with more progressive social and
environmental policies dominate the overall rankings. Nordic
nations – Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway – rank in the top 15 overall.
Denmark is the No. 1 country for
raising children and for women. Sweden takes the top spot for green living,
and Norway ranks at the top for
citizenship.
- Germany moved up one spot to
No. 3, replacing the U.K., which fell to No. 4. Germany's reputation as an open nation with
government transparency and strong gender equality led to its rise
in the rankings. The U.K.'s drop, however, signals a growing lack
of confidence in its economic strength post-Brexit.
- Japan remains at No. 5,
scoring high marks in entrepreneurship, up-and-coming economies and
rich traditions. Singapore and
China, at No. 16 and No. 20
respectively, follow among the highest ranked countries in
Asia. Both nations are viewed as
having a strong potential for economic growth.
- The U.S. falls one spot to No. 8, after No. 6 Sweden and No. 7
Australia. It drops in two important categories: open for business,
which looks at market-oriented countries, and movers, which
evaluates nations with up-and-coming economies. Perceptions of the
U.S. as politically stable, democratic and having an open travel
policy have decreased. However, the nation remains No. 1 in power
for the third year, closely followed by Russia at No. 2.
- Luxembourg is the most
business-friendly nation, Germany
is No. 1 in entrepreneurship and Switzerland is the best to headquarter a
corporation. The U.K. leads in education, Canada is No. 1 for quality of life and
New Zealand is the favorite for
retirement. Brazil is the No. 1
country to visit, and Italy ranks
highest as the nation with the richest traditions.
"For the countries that rose to the top of this year's rankings,
it is once again clear that military vigor and economic power are
no longer the key determinants to a country's brand success. The
Best Countries rankings continue to show us that just as brands
must focus on a wide range of attributes to raise profiles and win
over audiences, nations that are multidimensional and that reflect
a wider range of qualities, such as innovation and compassion, have
the brand appeal that propels them on the global stage," said
David Sable, Y&R Global CEO.
The 2018 Best Countries ranking methodology relies on data
gathered from a proprietary survey of more than 21,000 business
leaders, informed elites and general citizens. "The Best Countries
report speaks to the effect a nation's brand can have on its
economic prosperity and perceived standing in the world," said
David Reibstein, professor of
marketing at the Wharton School.
The Best Countries rankings are the centerpiece of the growing
U.S. News Best Countries portal, a platform combining in-depth news
articles, interactive data visualization tools, video, photos and
op-eds from global experts in government, business and academia.
The platform is part of the expanding government rankings portfolio
at U.S. News, which includes the Best States project and the
upcoming Healthiest Communities rankings.
2018 Best Countries Rankings
*See the full rankings
here
Overall
1. Switzerland
2. Canada
3. Germany
4. United Kingdom
5. Japan
6. Sweden
7. Australia
8. United States
9. France
10. Netherlands
To Start a Business
1. Thailand
2. Malaysia
3. Mexico
To Headquarter a Corporation
1. Switzerland
2. Canada
3. Luxembourg
Most Powerful
1. United States
2. Russia
3. China
For Women
1. Denmark
2. Sweden
3. Norway
For Education
1. United Kingdom
2. United States
3. Canada
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 Group
Y&R's BAV Group is a
global consultancy with expertise in consumer insights and brand
marketing strategy. Using BrandAsset® Valuator, a proprietary brand
management tool and global database of consumer perceptions of
brands, BAV informs strategic and creative solutions that drive
business results. Over 24 years, BAV has captured data and insights
from more than 1.5 million consumers across 56,000 brands in 52
countries around the world, evaluating 72 brand image and equity
dimensions that matter. Y&R's BAV Group also produces the Best
Countries report, an annual ranking and data analysis of 80
countries around the world, in partnership with US News and World
Report and The Wharton School. Visit yr.com/bav to learn
more.
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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