The Best Countries To Study, Work & Live In

Toronto, Canada

Canada finished as the runner-up for the third consecutive year, no shame considering its near perfect 9.9 index. Home to graduate business juggernauts like Rotman and Ivey, Canada follows the Swiss model to a T, excelling in citizenship and quality of life, while also scoring high for its business savvy. Notably, the Great White North reaped perfect marks in respecting property rights, trustworthiness, job markets, safety, and political stability. What’s more, it ranked among the top nations for religious freedom, public health and public education systems, transparent business practices, and economic stability. True to stereotype, they made high grades for friendliness and happiness too. Where does Canada lag behind? Simple: It finished dead last in terms of having a rich history. The quality of its food (1.2) dragged it down as well.

Germany, the inaugural #1, rounded out the top three. Unlike Switzerland and Canada, Germany excelled in entrepreneurship, earning a perfect 10 index in this category. In particular, Germans owned decisive advantages in infrastructure, education, technological expertise, and global connectivity according to survey respondents. Like Canada, respondents knocked Germany for its climate and food – with few respondents associating the country with being “different” or “fun.”

MBA students in China

CHINA MAKES STRONG ECONOMIC SHOWING

Overall, European nations dominated the top of the rankings. 6-of-the-10 highest-ranked nations hailed from Western Europe, with the number growing to 13-of-the-top-20. Japan was the highest-ranked Asian nation at 5th, 11 spots better than Singapore and 15 higher than China. Eurasia was also well-represented, as Australia (7th) and New Zealand (13th) both cracked the top 15. Three Scandanavian nations – Sweden, Norway, and Finland – also placed among the top 15. That doesn’t even count nearby Holland and Denmark, which finished 10th and 11th respectively. Regionally, the United Arab Emirates ranked 23rd, the best finish for any Middle Eastern nation – and ahead of Brazil (#29) and South Africa (#39), the crème de la crème of South America and Africa respectively.

Among world powers, India placed 25th overall. It was regaled for its diverse culture and history, yet dogged by dysfunctional politics, substandard infrastructure, and an archaic legal system. In contrast, 26th-ranked Russia grabbed perfect marks for its military prowess, leadership, and political influence. However, it scores less than one point – on a ten point scale – in fundamentals like safety, affordability, taxation, government transparency, trustworthiness, property rights, human rights, and environmental protection. More damning, Russia received an 8.8 score for corruption. China scores equally poor in those areas, along with gender equality and religious freedom. Unlike Russia, survey respondents credited China for its entrepreneurship, technological expertise, and innovation, each of which nabbed averages of 8.5 or above. The Chinese also ranked as the most “dynamic” with the lowest manufacturing costs, a nod to the country’s amazing economic growth.

Despite this, China has fallen three spots over the past two year in the U.S. News rankings. Spain suffered a similar three spot drop, as did Ireland and South Korea, which tumbled all the way out of the top 20. The biggest loser, however, was Austria, which has slid from 12th to 17th since 2016 due to lower marks on entrepreneurship, quality of life, cultural influence, and being open for business. The latter was Luxembourg’s strength, ranking 1st there for the second time in three years. However, it lost ground in every other category, resulting in an American-style four spot drop.

To see the top five countries in each category, go to next page.