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People throughout the world have mixed feelings about the U.S., but the sheer size of the economic and military superpower make it hard to ignore. The United States has the largest economy in the world and spends more on national defense than any other nation. Its media and entertainment industry is also a behemoth, capturing $660 billion of the $2 trillion global market.
That kind of power and influence can be a magnet for criticism. But on the whole, people view the country positively. The U.S. is overall the No. 5 best country in the world, according to the 2023 Best Countries rankings, which were based on a survey of more than 17,000 people and gathered perceptions about 87 nations. That’s down just one spot from last year, when it was the No. 4 Best Country in the U.S. News rankings.
This is how the U.S. performed in this year’s rankings, by a countdown of the numbers:
10
- Is it possible there’s less joy in America these days? Some survey respondents thought so. The country fell out of the top 10 for a number of attributes, including for being fun – slipping from No. 10 to the No. 14 spot. It also dropped out of the top 10 for having an influential culture, religious freedom and well-distributed political power.
- U.K. citizens may not be too keen on America overall. According to survey results from people in the United Kingdom, the U.S. should be ranked the No. 10 best country overall, five spots lower than where it placed in the overall rankings.
- America ranks well across the majority of the attributes in the annual Best Countries rankings, but it dropped into the bottom 10 (No. 78) for just one attribute: cheap manufacturing costs. According to survey respondents, the U.S. has a reputation for being one of the more expensive countries to manufacture in.
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EIGHT
- While many countries ranked the U.S. highly, some stood out as America’s biggest fans. Respondents in eight of the 36 countries the survey was fielded in – Nigeria, Japan, Italy, Poland, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam and Kenya – ranked America the No. 1 best country overall.
- Meanwhile, these eight countries were America’s biggest critics: Canada, Saudi Arabia, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Norway, China and Sweden. Among those countries, respondents from Sweden were the most critical, ranking the U.S. at No. 20, while respondents in Canada and Saudi Arabia placed the country at No. 11.
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Year-over-year, the U.S. was perceived to be even less equitable than last year, falling eight spots in the best countries for racial equity subranking, from No. 65 to No. 73.
SEVEN
- America was ranked the No. 7 most prestigious country, an attribute that respondents most strongly associated with the United Arab Emirates (No. 1), Switzerland (No. 2) and the United Kingdom (No. 3).
- U.S. respondents were positive about female leadership at the international level. In this year’s survey, about 70% of American respondents agreed with the statement, “Countries led by women tend to be better managed” – slightly higher than the 67% that agreed globally.
- Some U.S. politicians, including former President Donald Trump, have been critical of the United Nations. But the international organization aimed at upholding peace and security remains popular with many Americans. When asked whether the United Nations is beneficial to the world, 77.7% of American respondents agreed with the statement to some degree, slightly more than 76% globally.
SIX
- Generally, a relationship is strongest when admiration goes both ways. But sometimes feelings are unrequited. Six different countries – Sweden, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom – gave the U.S. a rank at least five spots lower than the rank American respondents gave their countries.
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Year-over-year, the U.S. moved down six spots, from No. 53 to No. 59, in the open for business subranking, reflective of countries that have a reputation for cheap manufacturing costs, transparent government practices, a favorable tax environment and not being corrupt. This was the largest subranking shift that America experienced between 2022 and 2023.
FIVE
- The U.S. is ranked the No. 5 best country overall, following Switzerland, Canada, Sweden and Australia.
- Despite America’s relatively strong performance, it still had some critics. In five of the 36 countries surveyed, more than 60% of people agreed to some extent with the statement “The U.S. is a threat to the world.” They were: China, Turkey, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand. Globally, only about 50% of respondents agreed with the statement.
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