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Canada ranks No. 2 in Best Countries list, only beaten by Switzerland

The Squamish-Lillooet district includes Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and Lillooet. Stuart Dee / robertharding

Canada is the second best country in the world, according to the U.S. News and Report’s Best Country list.

It’s only surpassed by Switzerland in the report, which takes into account rankings in categories like Adventure, Cultural Influence, Open to Business and others.

It’s the third year in a row Canada received second place.

“Canadians pride themselves in encouraging all of their citizens to honor their own cultures,” the company’s description of Canada reads on its website.

“Canada’s expansive wilderness to the north plays a large role in Canadian identity, as does the country’s reputation of welcoming immigrants.”

WATCH: Canada has ranked 2nd place for two years in the row

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But it also lists challenges like the concerns of Indigenous people and French-speakers.

The United States fell one spot to No. 8 – and officials say that’s fueled by the “the world’s perceptions of the country becoming less progressive and trustworthy, more politically unstable and a president who after just a year in office is far more unpopular than any other head of state or company CEO.”

“For the third year in a row, Canada is seen as offering the best quality of life, driven by high ratings for education, health care and public safety,” assistant managing editor Kevin Drew said in a release.

The company also surveyed global citizens on their view on world leadership – and found it lacking.

Around 82 per cent of respondents said there was a “leadership crisis” and most respondents (61 per cent) trusted private companies over the government.

“Only Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have approval ratings to rival the top ratings by CEOs such as Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg,” stated the release.

The rankings were tallied by a survey of global citizens from four regions to “assess perceptions of 80 countries on 75 different metrics,” the company says. The survey and analysis were conducted by Y&R’s BAV Group and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

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Top Ten Countries

  1. Switzerland
  2. Canada
  3. Germany
  4. United Kingdom
  5. Japan
  6. Sweden
  7. Australia
  8. United States
  9. France
  10. Netherlands

Bottom Ten Countries

  1. Kazakhstan
  2. Ghana
  3. Belarus
  4. Oman
  5. Pakistan
  6. Lebanon
  7. Nigeria
  8. Iran
  9. Serbia
  10. Angola
  11. Algeria

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