Despite the financial crisis that has all but crippled the economy and the social fabric, Greece remains among the ‘Best Countries’ list, published annualy by the U.S. News & World Report, albeit ranking in the 28th place, among the 80 countries listed. Greece is slowly making its way upwards in the online publication’s highly influential list, moving one place up from last year’s 29th position – and leaving crisis-and-crime stricken Brazil behind.
Australia ranks seventh on the list, trading places with the US.
The 2018 US News & World Report’s ‘Best Countries’ top-10 list is as follows:
1. Switzerland
2. Canada
3. Germany
4. United Kingdom
5. Japan
6. Sweden
7. Australia
8. United States
9. France
10. Netherlands
(Photo: Seb Zurcher/ Unsplash)
The ‘Best Countries’ ranking is based on a survey among 21,000 respondents from all over the world. The 80 countries in the list are assessed against a set of 65 different indicators criteria, such as economic influence, power, citizenship and quality of life, which collectively determine each country’s success as a modern nation.
Apart from the main list, the survey allowed for a more detailed assessment of the countries, presented in a series of other lists. Australia appears in the top-10 countries in all these lists – more specifically ranking aside from its overall “Best Countries” ranking second in ‘Best Countries for Retirement’, fourth in ‘Best Countries to Headquarter a Corporation’ and ‘Best Countries to Travel Alone’, sixth on lists of ‘Best Countries for Education’ and ‘Best Countries to Invest in’, eighth on the lists of ‘Most Forward-Looking Countries’, Best Countries for Women’ and ‘Best Countries for Green Living’; it is also #9 on the top-10 list of ‘Best Countries for Raising Kids’.