Measured Thoughts
Nation Branding
Use the interactive chart to explore What-If scenarios with any country. Use the sliders to increase or decrease attribute scores, and see how those changes would impact the score and rank in real time.
articles
The nation retained its top ranking while the United States slipped for the first time in five years.
The East Asian nation shows how promoting a nation within its own boundaries is as important as selling to the world.
videos
Interviews
Best Countries in the world report: Why SA ranks 39 and the US is falling
January 23, 2018
"...I think about companies that have brands and they invest in their brands not just because of ego but because it’s good business, and how is their brand for a company in good business – people are more willing to buy that product, if it’s got a good brand, and more willing to pay a higher price."
Click the play button to listen
U.S. News, WPP’s BAV Consulting, and The Wharton School Release Inaugural Best Countries Rankings
Germany is No. 1 country on overall list, followed by No. 2 Canada and No. 3 U.K.
“In short, the perception of a nation’s brand has a direct influence on its economy.”
— Professor David J. Reibstein
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland – Jan. 20, 2016 – Germany is viewed as the best country in the world, according to the inaugural Best Countries report, a joint rankings and analysis project of U.S. News & World Report, WPP’s BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Created to capture how nations are perceived on a global scale, the rankings are the centerpiece of a new web portal called “Best Countries,” launched today at the World Economic Forum.
Canada and the United Kingdom are the No. 2 and No. 3 Best Overall Countries, respectively. The United States places at No. 4, followed by Sweden at No. 5. Nordic nations were highly regarded for their progressive policies and top the most rankings categories. Sweden is recognized as the most modern country, the Best Country to Raise Kids and the No. 1 nation for Green Living. Denmark is named the Best Country for Women.
“Globalization has made the world a competitive place for business, influence and the quality of life,” said Mortimer B. Zuckerman, chairman and editor-in-chief of U.S. News. “Just as we have done with universities, hospitals and other institutions, our Best Countries portalwill be a global homepage for stories and data to help citizens, business leaders and governments evaluate performance in a rapidly changing world.”
The rankings evaluate 60 nations across 24 rankings lists on a wide range of criteria, from sustainability to economic influence. The United States is named the most powerful country and India has the No. 1 up and coming economy. Germany is the best country for entrepreneurship, while Luxembourg is the most business friendly. Italy is the country with the richest tradition and Brazil is the No. 1 nation to visit. Canada tops the list of countries with the best quality of life.
“Best Countries is a product of the most extensive data set ever collected on how nations are perceived globally,” said John Gerzema, CEO of BAV Consulting. “These perceptions contribute to a greater narrative about future drivers and deterrents of economic prosperity in nations and shape powerful brands that impact a country’s bottom line.”
The 2016 Best Countries methodology uses data gathered from a proprietary perception survey of more than 16,200 business leaders, informed elites and general citizens. “Our results were analyzed in correlation with the per capita gross domestic purchasing power parity of each country,” said David Reibstein, professor of marketing at the Wharton School. U.S. News will regularly supplement the rankings with in-depth content, including interactive data visualization tools, original reporting, videos and op-eds from global experts in government, business and academia.