Canada Slides to 19th Spot on This List of Best Countries

Canada has fallen to the 19th position in a ranking of the “best countries” in the world, placing one step below its southern neighbour.

The slide was a significant one for Canada, which dropped from fourth in 2024 and second in 2023 in the Best Countries rankings from American media company U.S. News & World Report. The annual list evaluates the top 100 nations in the world.

Canada’s fall from the top five this year can be attributed primarily to the new methodology employed by the company, rather than a major change in Canada’s performance, however.

In previous years, U.S. News surveyed more than 17,000 people from 36 nations, ranking the countries based on perception-driven attributes categorized into 10 themes, including quality of life, cultural influence, and adventure. Canada always scored well under this system.

The 2026 rankings are based on 100 data indicators collected from more than 30 organizations, including the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Labour Organization, and the World Bank, to name a few.

That data allowed each country to be scored on eight metrics: governance, health, infrastructure, natural environment, opportunity, civic health, culture and tourism, and economic development.

The new system saw Western Europe sweep the top 10. Switzerland took the top spot, followed by Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands to round out the top five. In sixth was Norway followed by the UK, Finland, Luxembourg, and Austria.

Belgium took the 11th spot, followed by France, Ireland, Australia, Iceland, Singapore, Japan and the United States.

South Korea was in the 20th spot, just after Canada.

Canada’s Performance

In culture and tourism, Canada’s ranked eighth place globally. This category assesses elements like creative influence, heritage, tourism appeal, and linguistic diversity.

But it was the governance and infrastructure categories that carried the most weight in determining Canada’s overall ranking. Canada ranked 18th and 20th respectively in these categories. The governance score was dragged down by Canada’s tax revenue and government debt, while the infrastructure store was affected by low scores on renewable energy and grid access.

Canada scored 27th in the health category. While it rated well for universal health coverage and life expectancy, poor scores on a shortage of physicians and hospital beds affected its ranking.

Canada’s worst score was in the natural environment category. The country was ranked 63rd primarily because of high carbon emissions and a lack of urban green space and species richness, according to the ranking, but scored well in air quality and light pollution.

The United States, which placed one position above Canada overall, also exhibited inconsistent performance across the various categories, despite its robust economic growth and cultural standings. It achieved a ranking of 33rd in health, 41st in civic health, and 72nd in the natural environment.