Why Canada's the No. 2 Best Country, Again
1. Canada took the top spot in five attributes in the 2017 Best Countries survey, more than any other country: respects property rights, trustworthy, religious freedom, politically stable and well-developed public education system.
2. Claiming the No. 1 spot in Quality of Life for two years in a row was key to maintaining the No. 2 spot overall. Germany and the U.S., two countries that saw significant drops in their overall rank this year, fell three and four spots in the subranking, respectively.
3. In a time when nearly 90 percent of global survey respondents agree that there is a global leadership crisis, the election of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the end of 2015 only helped improve global perceptions of Canada. A quarter of global survey respondents said that the event improved their view of the country to some extent, while another 62 percent were neutral.
4. Canada's lowest rank was in Heritage, the only category in which, at No. 41, it fell out of the top half.
5. But diversity is celebrated in the country, which has adopted a national policy of multiculturalism. Immigration is welcome in the country -- with more than half of Canadians agreeing that their country should be more open to it. But 76 percent of survey respondents from Canada say their country could do even better at promoting diversity and tolerance.
6. The Great White North is well-liked by its neighbors. When survey responses are broken down by region, Canada is still considered No. 2 overall by those in the Americas.
7. When it comes to Entrepreneurship, Open for Business and Movers -- a measure of economic potential -- Canada gets extra points where it counts. Business decision-makers, senior leaders in an organization or business-owners, rank Canada an average of two spots better in the three categories.
8. More than three-quarters of survey respondents from Canada agree that their country is headed in the right direction. Only 58 percent of Americans and 51 percent of Germans would say the same about their country.
9. Canada replaced the U.K. as the Best Country for Education, leading by more than three points on a 100-point scale. Canadian students score above average on the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment.
10. After Australia, Canada is considered the most favorable place to live. It comes within one point of the top spot on a 100-point scale.
Deidre McPhillips is a data reporter at U.S. News. You can find her on Twitter or email her at dmcphillips@usnews.com.
