Switzerland is ranked No. 1 for the third year in a row and for the seventh time overall since the project was launched. The 2024 analysis, released Tuesday, reflects the perceptions of 89 countries based on a survey of nearly 17,000 global citizens. Respondents assigned dozens of attributes to countries across 10 subcategories, including heritage, cultural influence, power and social purpose.
Switzerland took the top spot again this year, despite not being No. 1 in any subcategory: the country ranked No. 2 in openness to business, No. 3 in quality of life – where it moved up from No. 6 in 2023 – and is in the top 10 in several other subcategories.
Top 5:
- Switzerland
- Japan
- United States
- Canada
- Australia
The nation ranks second in open for business, third in quality of life – where it jumped from No. 6 in 2023 – and is in the top 10 of several other subrankings.
Joël Mesot, president of the public university ETH Zurich, credits the country’s “amazing education system” for some of the engineered products Switzerland is most famous for, like bridges and watches.
Switzerland’s high quality of life is “obvious,” pointing to a low crime rate and strong transportation system.
In the Best Countries project, the country is perceived as the safest among those assessed and also lands at No. 10 for perceptions of its infrastructure.
But the open for business subranking, which analyzes how business-friendly a country is perceived to be, is where Switzerland really shines. It ranks as the least corrupt nation among those in the Best Countries analysis and also places fifth for perceptions of a favorable tax environment – two attributes that inform the subranking.
Switzerland’s “relatively low taxes compared to the other countries” as part of its lure and says underneath it all, “working is not seen as a nuisance” there. Switzerland ranks No. 5 in the related entrepreneurship subranking, and Mesot highlights his university’s own successful startup ecosystem – even if he wishes businesspeople in the country had more ambitious goals.
“We are a bit risk-averse, we Swiss,” he says.
While the country doesn’t come out on top in any of the 10 subrankings, it does place No. 1 in three other unique lists that are part of the Best Countries project: the Best Countries to Headquarter a Corporation, the Best Countries to Start a Career and the Best Countries for a Comfortable Retirement. Overall, Switzerland ranks first for four attributes tied to the broader subrankings and overall rankings, including those assessing perceptions of a country’s trustworthiness and low level of corruption. It lands second for four of those attributes.
Switzerland, of course, might be most associated politically with its long-held position of neutrality, which aims to ensure independence and prevent the nation from participating in wars but has not been without controversy, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Presence Switzerland, a government agency that promotes the country abroad, noted in a report that year that the concept of neutrality “was associated more strongly with Switzerland than in previous years but was viewed less positively.”
Switzerland also is not a member of the European Union, though it has a number of agreements with the body and the two entities have engaged in talks in recent years toward a framework agreement on key issues.
Switzerland does rank 15th for having strong international alliances. Mesot, of ETH Zurich, says the country’s history as a direct democracy aids its global standing.
Switzerland’s No. 1 overall ranking doesn’t mean it’s a utopia. The country is near the bottom of the list for the affordable attribute, for example.
Switzerland’s stability, which he says allows it to stand out in a “less and less predictable world.”
“Everything is predictable” in the country, he says. “The economy is predictable, but also the lifestyle is very predictable. Everything works very well.”
Article Resource
