U.S. Ranks No. 11 on Newsweek's List of the World's Best Countries
"We're number 1! We're number 1!" Uh, no we're not. That honor actually belongs to Finland, who was ranked No. 1 on Newsweek's list of the Best Countries in the World. The United States of American doesn't even finish in the top ten, instead pulling in at No. 11 on the magazine's list.
According to Newsweek, the U.S. is not the superpower it was a decade ago and is most definitely on the decline in more areas than one.
In terms of education, the US ranks 12th in the world for the number of young adults who have completed college. The College Board deems it an "alarming" decline.
In terms of economics, James Manyika, director of the McKinsey Global Institute says:
“On economic fundamentals such as GDP growth, household consumption, industrial production, and trade, the U.S. was ahead on most metrics 10 years ago."
But today, America barely makes it into the top quartile. a
In the area of research and development, the US has fallen to the bottom quartile in research and development. China now has a higher rate of patent creation than the US, and has a higher number of engineers being graduated. While the US is still ahead, the fear now is that as China catches up, companies will eventually shift their funding to China.
Newsweek also notes that the US has yet to recover from "the serious blows to its stature delivered by nearly a decade of policy debacles." Specifcally, the magazine points out the "mess left behind by George W. Bush", including the diversion of military resources from Afghanistan to Iraq, and a "long period of fiscal, regulatory, and financial recklessness that contributed to the worst-ever downturn since the Great Depression." Lastly, Newsweek suggests that "Washington squandered its chance to lead on climate change."
The 2000's were named a "lost decade" by the Washington Post, and it's no wonder. With the economic output rising at its slowest rating of any decade since the 1930s, and an unprecedented net job growth of zero, its no wonder that other countries caught up faster.
All that being said, Newsweek explains that the "best" countries on the list tended to be small and relatively harmless and that compared to other "large" countries, the US still outranked China on most terms.
Here are the top 25 the World's Best Countries, according to Newsweek:
1. Finland
2. Switzerland
3. Sweden
4. Australia
5. Luxembourg
6. Norway
7. Canada
8. Netherlands
9. Japan
10. Denmark
11. United States
12. Germany
13. New Zealand
14. United Kingdom
15. South Korea
16. France
17. Ireland
18. Austria
19. Belgium
20. Singapore
21. Spain
22. Israel
23. Italy
24. Slovenia
25. Czech Republic
For the full list of 100 countries, visit Newsweek.
Comments
a great country! so to Canada, and U.S not a bad job at all, 7 th, and 11th,
No mention of the fact that things have gotten unmistakably worse since Bush left? No mention of the fact that liberals have run our education system since anybody can remember? No mention that, despite my previous sentence, the United States got quite a lot done during the 2000s, technologically? Ah well.
I've visited the countries who rank above the US. If that is the quality of life Newsweek thinks Amercans desire, I would suggest Newsweek move its headquarters to Norway.
This is still the greatest country in the world, and every time I go through customs on my way home, I am reminded of how glad I am to be back on US soil.
LOl @ anyone who thinks the US isn't the greatest country. People float across the ocean on rafts in shark-infested waters to try to land on our shores. Other people sneak across the border in the dead of night. Why do so many people want into OUR country if it's not the best? Why does the Canadian PM come to the USA when he needs a heart procedure? I thought Canadian healthcare was sooooo great?
i cant believe you guys still think youre #1??
WAKE UP!! in 15 years america will be history...
China is the new USA.. -Dude from Finland
LOl @ anyone who thinks the US isn't the greatest country. People float across the ocean on rafts in shark-infested waters to try to land on our shores. Other people sneak across the border in the dead of night. Why do so many people want into OUR country if it's not the best?
---
People risk their lives all over the world to sneak into other countries all over the world. You should read about what Australia, for example deals with. A country doesn't have to be "the best" for a man to risk life and limb to get there. It just has to be better. Any 1st world country is probably worth the risk to someone from any 3rd world country.
People raft there from the 3rd world. No one is coming from Europe any more. Their standard of living is as high and higher.
Many wants to go to the US not because it is the best but because of what opportunities it presents to them especially those from 3rd world countries...I am currently having a vacation in Finland now and it's a wonderful place. I don't like Sweden though. Norway's great too! Having a vacation is different to living but I'm here long enough to notice the daily lifestyle. Socialism is not always bad coz it does have its advantages. The US would probably be a bit too much to me with the busyness and great consumerism. That's not a great quality of life.
And isn't newsweek a US magazine? If it was the greatest and best country, wouldn't the magazine be happy to rank it in the top 5? If it was the best, why isn't everyone on planet earth running to live there? China has 1 billion people, that's about 3 times more..
Most of the countries in the top 10 rank above the U.S. in terms of suicide rate (according to WHO). Finland ranks #14 in the world - the US is #41.
Finland rocks!
vigilon security