We’re great again!
The United States is now the third best country in the world, apparently — our highest score ever achieved in US News & World Report’s annual Best Countries survey.
The rankings, launched in 2016, are compiled using a worldwide survey of 17,000 “global citizens” in 36 different countries, the title reported.
Questions were asked in ten different categories that included quality of life, cultural influence, power and agility.
The year of the survey launch saw The Land of The Free at No. 4. The country plummeted to No. 8 during the Trump Administration, slowly rising up to take the bronze in 2024, behind Switzerland at No. 1 and Japan at No. 2.
The US was able to squeak past perennial best-of list favorites Canada and Australia this year, which ranked at 4 and 5, respectively.
Rankings were determined by computing a whole list of averages — for the Home of The Brave, taking No. 1 in the Agility and Power categories appeared to determine the near-the-top placement.
Within those categories, respondents gave perfect scores for leadership, international alliances and the country’s dynamic character.
At the other end of the spectrum, the US was perceived as having very poor racial equity (15.6), a lack of affordability (6.8) and less than appetizing food (29.9).
And, get this — apparently, we’re not at all sexy — scoring a pitiful 13.2 on the physical appeal front.
But that doesn’t stop people from wanting to come visit — as a tourism destination, America performed just fine at 74.1.
“Despite being a dominant global power, the US still faces domestic challenges, including racial tensions, income inequality and an increasingly polarized electorate,” survey authors wrote.
“National security is a concern, as is the debt incurred from wars and expenditures on an aging population. The US leads the developed world in deaths due to firearms,” they continued.
The Top 10 was rounded out by the inclusion of two Nordic countries, Sweden (No. 6) and Denmark (No. 10), along with Germany (No. 7), the United Kingdom (No. 8) and New Zealand (No. 9).
Out of the ranking of 89, the bottom spot was taken by perennially beleaguered Belarus, which came in behind Serbia (No. 88) and Lebanon (No. 89).
The ranking reads quite differently from a recent survey of the most desirable countries for relocation, compiled via analysis of global search engine inquiries.
The United States didn’t even crack the Top 10 — Canada is apparently the No. 1 place people would like to move to, followed by Australia, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom.