Once again, Switzerland has claimed the top spot as the best country in the world.
The 2026 rankings, released Thursday, were compiled by US News & World Report in partnership with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Unlike previous iterations of the list, this year’s rankings did away with a perception-based approach of surveying experts and business leaders, and instead used a data-driven methodology.
To determine the rankings, researchers evaluated 100 countries across eight categories, including governance, culture and tourism, civic health, economic development, health, infrastructure, opportunity, and the natural environment. The rankings also factored in 24 other subcategories, including healthcare, public safety, labor markets, poverty, and wealth.
The resulting best countries are predominantly a mix of popular and more underrated destinations across Europe. Some major global favorites, including the United States and Japan, didn’t crack the top 10.
US News senior data editor Evan Comen told Business Insider that the reason the US didn’t make the top 10 is its uneven performance across the eight major categories.
“The US is No. 2 in economic development, No. 1 in culture and tourism,” Comen said. “But then these advantages are offset by weaker performance in some of the more data-heavy categories that wouldn’t really be reflected in perceptions; things like health, infrastructure, and civic health.”
Below are the 20 best countries in the world, according to US News & World Report.
Population data for each country is from the US Census Bureau, and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) information was sourced from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
20. South Korea
- Population: 51.4 million
- GDP: $3.1 trillion
Rounding out the top 20, South Korea still ranks high in a few categories. Its capital city, Seoul, is a cultural hub for fashion, technology, and entertainment.
The Asian country ranked sixth in economic development, its highest finish in a category. It also ranked seventh in health.
19. Canada
- Population: 39.5 million
- GDP: $2.7 trillion
Canada, the northern sibling to the US, matches fairly closely with its border mate in overall ranking, but has separation in some categories, like economic development.
Canada doesn’t rank high in a lot of categories, but finishes in the top 20 mostly, signaling balance. Culture and tourism is Canada’s highest ranking, where it finished eighth.
18. United States
- Population: 342.4 million
- GDP: $29.3 trillion
In what might be a surprising placement to some, the US barely cracked the top 20 in this year’s rankings. A leader in cultural tourism and economic development, the country had uneven performance across other categories.
The US has the highest GDP on the list by far; however, it struggles in many categories, such as health and infrastructure, where it doesn’t rank in the top 20.
17. Japan
- Population: 122.1 million
- GDP: $6.7 trillion
Japan has cultural significance that reaches every corner of the world. With its busy cities and mountainous landscapes, it’s a popular tourist destination.
Japan ranked highest in health and civic health, finishing in fifth and second, respectively.
16. Singapore
- Population: 6.1 million
- GDP: $547.4 billion
Singapore, an island nation in Southeast Asia, is a bustling country marked by tall buildings and modern architecture.
The country leads in infrastructure, according to US News, and finishes near the top in other categories, such as economic development, governance, and health.
15. Iceland
- Population: 370,000
- GDP: $32.3 billion
Iceland, the least populous country on the list, packs a punch in a lot of US News’ important categories. Known for its vast landscapes, it finished 10th in culture and tourism, while it ranked first in the heritage and cultural attractions subcategory.
The Nordic island nation finished first in both health and opportunity on this year’s list.
14. Australia
- Population: 27.9 million
- GDP: $2 trillion
Home to the Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney Opera House, and wildlife galore, Australia is a unique country with loads to do.
However, culture and tourism aren’t its strongest assets: it ranked 18th in that category. Australia’s best finish was in health, where it ranked sixth.
13. Ireland
- Population: 5.3 million
- GDP: $759.6 billion
Ireland, the third-largest island in Europe, is only about 100 miles from the United Kingdom, but it has its own culture.
Scoring highest in culture and tourism, Ireland finished in the top 20 for nearly every category, including economic development, governance, and infrastructure.
12. France
- Population: 68.7 million
- GDP: $4.3 trillion
France is a popular tourist destination with a diversity of attractions, from the Eiffel Tower in Paris to historic chateaus to a stunning Mediterranean coastline.
That diversity landed it fifth in the culture and tourism rankings — its highest finish. It also ranked high in economic development and health, at 10th and 11th, respectively.
11. Belgium
- Population: 12 million
- GDP: $880.2 billion
Belgium borders four different countries, and, in turn, blends a lot of those cultures into its own unique brew. It has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German.
Civic health is its strongest category, where it ranks seventh, but it has generally high rankings across the board.
10. Austria
- Population: 9.2 million
- GDP: $695.4 billion
Austria may be a less popular tourist destination than other European favorites like the UK and Italy, but it has been gaining attention for its relatively lower costs and scenic views.
In this year’s rankings, it placed 14th for both culture and tourism and economic development. It also ranked 21st for modern urban livability and quality of life.
9. Luxembourg
- Population: 701,000
- GDP: $105.6 billion
Luxembourg is often overshadowed by its larger neighbors, Germany to the east and France to the south, but the country ranks among the best in the world on US News’ list.
Though it placed ninth overall this year, Luxembourg ranked third in infrastructure, sixth in opportunity, seventh in governance, ninth in solo travel, and ninth among the best countries to start a business.
8. Finland
- Population: 5.6 million
- GDP: $366.1 billion
The “land of a thousand lakes” finally made the top 10 this year. In individual categories, Finland ranked first for modern urban livability, fourth for infrastructure, and fifth for civic health.
7. United Kingdom
- Population: 69 million
- GDP: $4.3 trillion
The United Kingdom has weathered political and economic turmoil in the wake of Brexit, but even so, it remains a favorable destination and performed well in this year’s rankings.
It placed third in culture and tourism and fourth in economic development. The country also earned strong marks for infrastructure and opportunity.
6. Norway
- Population: 5.6 million
- GDP: $588.8 billion
Norway is one of the world’s few remaining constitutional monarchies, giving it a unique blend of old-world tradition and modern governance.
This year, the country ranked second in health, fifth in opportunity, and fifth in governance.
5. Netherlands
- Population: 17.9 million
- GDP: $1.5 trillion
The Netherlands, often informally referred to as Holland, finally made the top five in this year’s overall rankings. Across individual categories, the country ranked third in governance, seventh in both eco-tourism and infrastructure, and eighth in economic development.
4. Germany
- Population: 83.9 million
- GDP: $6.2 trillion
Germany has repeatedly landed in the top 10 of the US News rankings, and this year it rose to fourth overall.
The country placed third in economic development, fourth in both culture and tourism, and seventh among the best countries for raising children.
3. Sweden
- Population: 10.7 million
- GDP: $752.8 billion
In the categories of governance and opportunity, Sweden ranked fourth and third, respectively, while ranking sixth in civic health.
Notably, the country ranked first for a comfortable retirement.
2. Denmark
- Population: 6.1 million
- GDP: $483.8 billion
The Northern European country located on the Jutland Peninsula ranked second in both infrastructure and governance.
Denmark also ranked high in categories like modern urban livability, education, entrepreneurship, and overall quality of life.
1. Switzerland
- Population: 9 million
- GDP: $877.8 billion
For another consecutive year, Switzerland ranked No. 1 on the Best Countries list.
The Central European nation also topped the rankings in categories such as economic development and governance, while placing second in opportunity, culture, and tourism.
It earned strong marks across several other areas, including education, entrepreneurship, solo travel, digital nomadism, modern livability, and quality of life.
