The 80 countries in the 2018 Best Countries rankings had to meet four criteria within the last two years for which data are available specific to each benchmark to be included in the study:
For the second consecutive year, Switzerland is the world's best country, according to the U.S. News & World Report.
In order to help people understand how nations are perceived on a global scale, over 21,000 respondents were asked to evaluate 80 countries by ranking them according to 65 attributes. Attributes were grouped into nine subrankings that rolled into the Best Countries ranking: Adventure, Citizenship, Cultural Influence, Entrepreneurship, Heritage, Movers, Open for Business, Power and Quality of Life.
A total of 21,117 individuals from 36 countries in four regions - the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East and Africa - were surveyed. Of the respondents, 12,114 were informed elites and 6,016 were business decision-makers. Some respondents were considered both informed elites and business decision-makers.
- Top 100 countries in terms of gross domestic product in 2015 or 2014, based on World Bank data
- Top 150 countries in the UN's Human Development Index, based on the 2015 or 2014 report
- Top 100 countries in terms of foreign direct investment inflows in 2014 or 2013, based on United Nations data
- Top 100 countries in terms of international tourism receipts in 2014 or international tourism arrivals in 2013, based on World Bank data
The rankings are part of an analysis project called the 2018 Best Countries Report, conducted now for three years by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and global consumer insights firm Y&R's BAV Group.
"The Best Countries report speaks to the effect a nation's brand can have on its economic prosperity and perceived standing in the world," Wharton professor of marketing David Reibstein said in a statement.
Y&R Global CEO David Sable added that nations need to think carefully about their brand appeal and show off qualities like innovation and compassion in order to set themselves apart.
"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," Y&R Global CEO David Sable said in a statement.
Switzerland, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, and Japan are the Top 5. Seasia has compiled the ranking for Asian countries.
| World Ranking | Country | Entepreneurship | Adventure | Citizenship | Cultural Influence | Heritage | Movers | Open for Business | Power | Quality of LIfe |
| 5 | JAPAN | 2 | 38 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 26 | 7 | 14 |
| 16 | SINGAPORE | 8 | 34 | 23 | 13 | 32 | 3 | 13 | 24 | 18 |
| 20 | CHINA | 16 | 57 | 38 | 21 | 10 | 4 | 33 | 3 | 21 |
| 22 | SOUTH KOREA | 12 | 62 | 26 | 30 | 48 | 15 | 25 | 11 | 24 |
| 23 | UAE | 23 | 67 | 30 | 17 | 67 | 1 | 67 | 10 | 25 |
| 25 | INDIA | 28 | 37 | 51 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 29 | 15 | 32 |
| 27 | THAILAND | 38 | 4 | 52 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 15 | 49 | 30 |
| 34 | MALAYSIA | 34 | 29 | 54 | 44 | 36 | 20 | 12 | 59 | 28 |
| 35 | QATAR | 30 | 76 | 49 | 34 | 80 | 12 | 38 | 20 | 48 |
| 37 | SAUDI ARABIA | 31 | 78 | 64 | 38 | 57 | 14 | 78 | 9 | 41 |
| 41 | INDONESIA | 43 | 31 | 62 | 43 | 30 | 23 | 22 | 47 | 34 |
| 44 | VIETNAM | 52 | 43 | 69 | 52 | 26 | 13 | 28 | 34 | 40 |
| 49 | PHILIPPINES | 45 | 16 | 55 | 41 | 47 | 34 | 34 | 55 | 37 |
| 51 | SRI LANKA | 59 | 39 | 61 | 53 | 46 | 16 | 21 | 67 | 54 |
| 61 | BAHRAIN | 46 | 75 | 65 | 55 | 78 | 45 | 47 | 43 | 61 |
| 63 | MYANMAR | 75 | 61 | 77 | 66 | 62 | 21 | 65 | 50 | 58 |
| 64 | AZERBAIJAN | 64 | 66 | 60 | 74 | 63 | 33 | 56 | 45 | 67 |
| 68 | JORDAN | 65 | 69 | 72 | 64 | 45 | 39 | 72 | 32 | 75 |
| 70 | KAZAKHTAN | 71 | 73 | 68 | 76 | 72 | 36 | 70 | 41 | 64 |
| 73 | OMAN | 57 | 77 | 66 | 63 | 75 | 50 | 69 | 46 | 74 |
Source : usnews.com
