(Australian Associated Press)

News magazine US News and World Report has released its annual ‘Best Countries Ranking’. These are the nations listed in the Top 10.

1. Switzerland: “A sanctuary for calm reason… appears to offer a respite from a liberal Western-led political order upended by populist sentiments and strongman politics”

2. Canada: “A high-tech industrial society with a high standard of living”

3. United Kingdom: “The nation has a long history of major contributions to the arts and sciences”

4. Germany: “Possesses one of the largest economies in the world and … a highly skilled, affluent workforce”

5. Japan: “One of the world’s most literate and technically advanced nations”

6. Sweden: “Health care, as well as a college education, are free, and its people boast one of the longest life expectancies in the world”

7. United States: “The world’s most dominant economic and military power… Its cultural imprint spans the world, led in large part by its popular culture expressed in music, movies and television”

8. Australia: “The nation has a high rate of participation in sporting activities and boasts a comparatively high life expectancy. Its major cities routinely score well in global liveability surveys”

9. France: “Its reach extends around the globe through science, politics, economics and perhaps above all, culture.”

10. Norway: “Norway is a high income nation with a vibrant private sector and a substantial safety net”