The World's Best Countries in 2021

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2021 Best Countries rankings, which takes into account responses to a survey of more than 17,000 business leaders; college-educated individuals middle class or higher and general citizens who are nationally representative of their country. The standings have been shuffled quite a bit following an unprecedented year in 2020, so read on to see how the top 10 shakes out this year.

Rounding out the top 10, the Netherlands leads the way in terms of perceived commitment to racial equality for 2021 but still drops one spot to 10th overall. Last year, U.S. News & World Report noted that the country is active in United Nations peacekeeping efforts and is home to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court (ICC) headquarters.

Elsewhere in Europe, Sweden is viewed as the best country in the world for women. Nonetheless, the Nordic gem of Scandinavia still dropped one spot from eighth overall in 2020 to ninth in 2021.

The U.K. continues to be heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effects are reflected in U.S. News & World Report's 2021 rankings. Britain falls two spots to eighth this year. The country could resume international travel as soon as May 17, officials announced earlier this month.

New Zealand ranks third worldwide for social purpose and perceived commitment to racial equality, helping it climb an impressive four spots from last year to seventh overall in 2021. Earlier this month, the country revealed plans to open up a quarantine-free travel bubble with Australia.

The United States managed to rise a spot in 2021, climbing to sixth overall. According to U.S. News & World Report, the U.S. leads the world in perceived agility and power but ranks only 18th when it comes to perceived commitment to social justice and a lowly 69th in terms of racial equality. Finally, the U.S. ranks 13th for perceived adaptability.

A bucket-list destination for many that's been off-limits amid the pandemic, Australia remains the world's fifth-best country, according to U.S. News & World Report's research. The country trails only the United States in terms of perceived agility, which carries the greatest weight among the 10 sub-rankings.

Switzerland is one of the biggest losers this year, falling three spots from 2020 from first to fourth. Still, Switzerland's presence in the top 10 highlights Europe's dominance in U.S. News & World Report's rankings with five countries making the top 10.

Germany is the highest-ranking European country for 2021, overtaking Switzerland for third. "Culturally, Germany has produced some of the world's leading figures in the natural and social sciences, as well as the arts," U.S. News & World Report states.

Japan is up one spot from 2020 to second worldwide in 2021. Interestingly, the upcoming Summer Olympics host is the only Asian country to make the top 10. Japan continues to fend off stiff competition from China and Singapore. The former trails only the U.S. in terms of perceived power while the latter ranks second worldwide for most forward-looking.

Canada ranks number one for the first time ever in 2021, finishing tops in the all-important categories of quality of life and social purpose. What's more, the North American country is perceived as having a solid job market, caring about human rights and being committed to social justice. Canada also fared the best in being viewed as not corrupt and respecting property rights.