WASHINGTON: 2021 Best Countries Report, a ranking and analysis project by United States of America (USA) News and World Report; BAV Group, a unit of global marketing communications company named VMLY&R; and Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, found Canada to be the best country in the list, for the first time. The model behind this report has evolved due to the transformational year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The analysis is based on the cultural, economic, political and technological influences and two new categories have been added: social purpose and agility. Kim Castro, Editor and Chief Content Officer, USA News, said that countries are impacted on many critical fronts by how they are perceived globally going from foreign relations to international business to tourism. He added that these perceptions are ever evolving in a rapidly changing world and the report analysis data and storytelling to explore how nations compare on a host of global issues.
Japan and Germany followed the list after Canada, whereas Switzerland, which was the winner previously, has come down to the fourth spot. Canada has ranked as the top country in quality of life and social purpose. Canada and Nordic countries are viewed as the most committed to social justice and USA stands at 18th spot. The report found that 83 per cent of the global citizens believe that there is a leadership crisis in the world and a majority of the respondents view women leaders in a positive light.
The rankings are analysed on the basis of a proprietary survey of more than 17,000 business leaders, college-educated individuals (middle class or higher) and general citizens who are the representative of the country. The 2021 Best Countries Project includes news articles, an interactive data explorer, photos and commentary from global experts in government, business and academia.