Tokyo (SCCIJ) – Switzerland stays at the top of two important rankings: It was named #1 of the World’s Best Country listing compiled by the news magazine “U.S. News & World Report” for the seventh time. Also, it took pole position in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2024 for the 14th time in a row.
Consistently strong performer
Switzerland is the best country for 2024, keeping the lead for the third time in a row, says the news magazine “U.S. News & World Report”. Japan jumped to #2 from the sixth place, and the US followed at #3. The next best European countries are Germany in sixth place and the UK in seventh. 17,000 people from 89 countries participated in the survey, with respondents connecting nations to dozens of attributes within 10 sub rankings such as heritage, cultural influence, power, and social purpose.
Switzerland this year came out on top again despite not reaching No. 1 in any sub ranking. However, it’s still a consistently strong performer: The nation ranks second in the open for business sub ranking, third in quality of life – where it jumped from No. 6 in 2023 – and in the top 10 of several other sub rankings. Its lowest spot is No. 29 in the heritage category. It also languishes near the ranking bottom for the attribute “affordability”.
Additionally, the country places No. 1 in three other unique lists that are part of the Best Countries project: The Best Countries to Headquarters 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 sub rankings, including those assessing perceptions of a country’s trustworthiness and low level of corruption.
A global leader in innovation
Switzerland also kept its first place in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2024, leading the index consecutively since 2011. Sweden and the United States maintained their respective 2nd and 3rd positions for the second consecutive year. Japan remained firm in 13th – a position it has held since 2021.
Switzerland takes pole position in innovation outputs, ranking first in both Knowledge and Technology outputs and Creative outputs. It also ranks in the top 5 of all the other index pillars. The only exception is the seventh place in the infrastructure category. Among high-income economies, Switzerland leads in producing higher levels of output compared to Sweden (overall 2nd), the United States (3rd) and Finland (7th).
This year’s Global Innovation Index focused on social entrepreneurship. Switzerland was ranked ninth for the proportion of social enterprises among early-stage startups, making it the highest-placed European country. The not-for-profit company WeRobotics was listed as an example of a valuable social enterprise. Headquartered in Geneva, WeRobotics helps communities with civil drones, data, and artificial intelligence technologies.
Text: SCCIJ with material from U.S. News & World Report and GII
