From SwissInfo

Switzerland ranks second in “best country” list

Aug 18, 2010 - 11:05


Living in Switzerland affords one of “the very best opportunities” in the world for leading a life rich in security and possibilities, a Newsweek report has found.

The most recent issue of the United States-based weekly news magazine includes an ambitious package that attempts to rank 100 of the world’s countries by education, health, political environment, economic dynamism and quality of life.

Switzerland ranks number two overall, behind Finland and ahead of Sweden, with a total of 89 points on a scale of 100. Canada ranks fifth, the United States 11th and Britain 14th.

“Smaller is often better,” the authors write. “Being rich and small is best.”

Looking at individual categories, Switzerland took second in health and quality of life, sixth in education, seventh in economic dynamism, and 11th in political environment, which tried to measure democratic freedom, participation and relative risk faced by governments, businesses and individuals due to political decision and actions.

The magazine also looked at more offbeat subjects. Apparently Switzerland ranks number one in the world for “best place to be a rapper”.

“Swiss rappers rhyme in dialect and care more about Lokalpatriotismus [local pride] than world domination,” the magazine writes. “They get radio play and sold-out shows without needing body guards or bulletproof vests.”

The worst country on the list – which did not include North Korea, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe or Iraq – is Burkina Faso.