The overall ranking of Best Countries measures global performance on a variety of metrics
Among 80 countries studied, the first five are: Switzerland, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom and Japan. United States is 8th, Spain is 19th and the first ranked in Latin America is Brazil as 28th. "
Behind a country's wealth and success are the policies that create possibilities, the people that drive the effort and the history that shapes the environment and perspective.
Globalization has expanded a country's presence beyond its physical borders, and the 2018 Best Countries rankings seek to understand a nation's worth beyond hard metrics.
The 2018 Best Countries report and rankings are based on how global perceptions define countries in terms of a number of qualitative characteristics, impressions that have the potential to drive trade, travel and investment and directly affect national economies. The report covers perceptions of 80 nations.
Ranking the Countries
The study and model used to score and rank countries were developed by Y&R's BAV Group and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, specifically professor David J. Reibstein, in consultation with U.S. News & World Report.
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