Canada is recognized in international rankings for a variety of reasons, ranging from its high standard of living to its strong economy and political stability. Canada ranks high on its social, legal, healthcare and education systems with its universities ranked among the best in the world. [1] The country consistently ranks high in other various indices measuring factors such as human rights, quality of life, safety, happiness, prosperity and sustainability. This has led to Canada being recognized as one of the best countries in the world to live. [2] Despite these facts there are varied domestic concerns, Canada ranks among the lowest of the most developed countries for housing affordability, technology affordability, healthcare accessibility, and foreign direct investment. [3]
Note: Below each survey uses a limited number of countries/region's for its assessments, see "Measurement(s)" for number variables.
| Organization | Survey | Rank | Value | Measurement(s)/Notes | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OECD | Tertiary education [4] [5] | 1 | - | Based on those 25- to 64-year-olds having completed tertiary education of G7 countries | 2022 |
| Asher & Lyric | LGBTQ+ Danger Index [6] [7] | 1 | - | Measures the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, 2-spirit and intersex (LGBTQ2I) people in 203 countries. Note: Canada ranked second in the Gay Travel Index chart in 2023, [8] and sixth in the Equaldex Equality Index in 2023. [9] | 2023 |
| Anholt-Ipsos | Nation branding [10] | 3 | 70.32/ 100 | Measures national competence, governance, immigration and investment, people; exports, tourism and culture in the 50 most developed countries | 2022 |
| Fund for Peace | Fragile States Index [11] | 3 | - | Measures risk and vulnerability of individuals of 179 countries | 2022 |
| The Conference Board of Canada | Old-age standard of living [12] | 3 | Score of "A" - range A to D | Measures standard of living for the elderly in the 15 most developed countries. Note: "Poverty among the elderly in Canada is at 6.7 per cent, much lower than for children or the working-age population." | 2018 |
| U.S. News & World Report | Best Countries for Education [13] | 4 | - | Measures quality of education in the 80 most developed countries | 2022 |
| State of World Liberty Project | State of World Liberty Index [14] | 4 | Top 5% | Degree of economic and personal freedoms of 183 countries | 2021 |
| Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development | OECD Better Life Index [15] | 4 | - | Measures wellbeing, environmental quality, quality of public services and security of the 36 most developed countries: | 2020 |
| International Comparisons (OECD) | Social justice [16] | 4 | 7.1 / 10 | Arithmetic average of individual indicators of a "Just society" of the 40 most developed countries: | 2020 |
| U.S. News & World Report | Social Purpose [17] | 5 | - | Measures social progressiveness, inclusiveness and committed to social justice in the 80 most developed countries | 2022 |
| The Economist | Democracy Index [18] | 5 | 9.24 / 10 (Full democracy) | Measures pluralism, civil liberties and political culture of 167 countries | 2020 |
| United Nations | Good Country Index [16] | 6 | - | Measure how much each country contributes to the planet and to the human race, relative to its size (measured in GDP) of 125 countries | 2020 |
| Social Progress Imperative | Social Progress Index [19] | 6 | 91.41/ 100 - Tier 1 of 6 | Measures well-being of a society of 132 countries | 2021 |
| The Economist | Global Food Security Index [20] | 7 | 79.1/ 100 | Measures food affordability, availability, quality, safety, sustainability and adaptation of 109 countries | 2022 |
| Charities Aid Foundation | World Giving Index [21] | 8 | - | Ranks over 140 countries according to how charitable they are (foreign aid). See also List of development aid sovereign state donors | 2022 |
| The Heritage Foundation | Index of Economic Freedom [22] | 9 | 77.9 / 100 | Based on the rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency and open markets of 178 countries | 2021 |
| Institute for Economics and Peace | Global Peace Index [23] | 11 | - | Measures overall peacefulness of 162 countries | 2024 |
| Transparency International | Corruption Perceptions Index [24] | 11 | 77 / 100 | Based on public sector corruption of 175 countries & territories | 2021 |
| Travel Safe - Abroad | Safest countries Index [25] | 12 | 88 / 100 | Measures public safety based on the number of incidents including mugging, drugs, violent crimes, bribery, property crimes, stolen vehicles, religion, and racial tolerance of 163 countries | 2022 |
| Theglobaleconomy.com | Public services index [26] | 12 | - | Measures quality of public services of 177 countries | 2022 |
| International Institute for Management Development | Most competitive economies [27] | 13 | - | Economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment and healthcare / education of the 67 most developed countries | 2019 |
| Reporters Without Borders | Press Freedom Index [28] | 14 | - | Level of freedom available to journalists of 180 countries | 2021 |
| World Economic Forum | Global Competitiveness Index [29] | 14 | 79.6 / 100 | Measures level of prosperity of citizens of 144 economies | 2019 |
| Legatum | Prosperity Index [30] | 15 | 78.99/ 100 | Measures wealth, economic growth, education, health, personal well-being, and quality of life of 167 countries | 2021 |
| UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network | World Happiness Report [31] | 15 | 6.9 / 10 | Based on (quality of) life factors of 156 countries | 2024 |
| United Nations Development Programme | Human Development Index [32] | 15 | - | Based on life expectancy, education, and per capita income of 187 countries. Note: Norway has been ranked the highest sixteen times, Canada eight times, Japan and Iceland twice and Switzerland once. See Human Development Index#Past top countries. See also List of Canadian provinces and territories by Human Development Index | 2022 |
| World Intellectual Property Organization | Global Innovation Index [33] | 14 | - | Measures success in innovation of 133 countries | 2024 |
| World Population Foundation | Best Countries To Live [34] | 16 | 0.929 / 1.0 | Measures equality among genders, literacy, average life expectancy, and financial stability of 146 countries | 2022 |
| Georgetown University | Women, Peace and Security Index [35] | 17 | 0.885/ 1.0 | Measures women’s well-being—inclusion (economic, social, political); justice (formal laws and informal discrimination); and security (at the family, community, and societal levels) | 2023 |
| World Economic Forum | Global Gender Gap Report [36] | 19 | 0.772 /0-1 | Measures gender equality of 142 countries | 2020 |
| Yale and Columbia Universities | Environmental Performance Index. [37] | 20 | 71/100 | Environmental performance of 178 countries | 2020 |
| World Bank | Ease of doing business index [38] | 23 | 79.14 /100 Very Easy | Regulatory environment of 189 countries | 2021 |
Freedom indices produced by several non-governmental organizations publishes assessments of political rights and civil liberties for countries around the world. [39]
| According to Freedom in the World, an annual report by US-based think-tank Freedom House, which rates political rights and civil liberties, in 2023 Canada was ranked "Free" (the highest possible rating), with a Global Freedom Score of 97 out of 100. "Canada: Freedom in the World 2024 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved July 7, 2024. |
| According to the Democracy Index, an annual index published by the U.K.-based Economist Intelligence Unit, that measures pluralism, civil liberties, and the state of democracy, in 2023 Canada was ranked 13th out of 167 countries and received a score of 8.69 out of 10.00. "Democracy Index 2023". Economist Intelligence Unit. February 29, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024. |
| According to the annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, Canada ranked 14th out of 180 countries in 2024, up one spot from 15th in 2023 and from 19th in 2022. "2024 World Press Freedom Index – journalism under political pressure". RSF. Retrieved July 7, 2024. |
| According to the annual Corruption Perceptions Index, published by Transparency International, Canada was ranked 12th out of 180 countries from the top least corrupt in 2024. "2023 Corruption Perceptions Index: Explore the results". Transparency.org. January 30, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024. |
| The Index of Economic Freedom an annual index by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal to measure the degree of economic freedom, ranks Canada 14th out of 177 in 2024, with a score of 73.7 out of 100.The Heritage Foundation. "Index of Economic Freedom: All Country Scores". Index of Economic Freedom. Retrieved July 7, 2024. |
In 2024, Canada ranked fourth in the world in U.S. News & World Report's Best Countries rankings, with an overall indexed score of 94.1 out of 100: Canada's strong ranking was due to its performance in several categories. [2] Canada has been ranked in the top five countries by U.S. News for the past four years. Canada ranked first in 2021, [40] and 2nd place a few years in a row. [2]
| Ranking Theme | Score | Ranking |
| Adventure | 57.5 | #16 |
| Agility | 89.2 | #2 |
| Cultural Influence | 52.6 | #16 |
| Entrepreneurship | 81.9 | #6 |
| Heritage | 41.1 | #30 |
| Movers | 27.2 | #43 |
| Open for Business | 79.8 | #15 |
| Power | 41.2 | #13 |
| Quality of Life | 94.2 | #5 |
| Social Purpose | 97.8 | #3 |
| 2nd overall among the best countries to headquarter a corporation (the only country in the top ten outside of Europe and Asia); |
| 4th overall among countries with the best education systems; |
| 5th overall among countries with the most racial equity*; |
| 5th overall among countries with the most perceived transparency (the only country outside of Europe to be on the list); |
| 6th overall among countries where people could have a comfortable retirement*; |
| 6th overall among the best countries to raise a child*; |
A developed country (or industrialized country) has a high quality of life, developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure relative to other less industrialized nations. [41] Note: Below each survey uses a limited number of countries for its assessment, see "Notes" for country number variables.
| Organization | Survey | Rank | Notes | Measurement(s) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OECD | Nominal house prices [42] | 1 | Most unaffordable housing of the 38 most developed countries | Comparing average home prices to average incomes. See also Lists of countries by GDP per capita | 2022 |
| Rewheel | Most expensive wireless costs [43] | 1 | 4G and 5G prices of the 50 most developed countries | Measures wireless costs | 2021 |
| OECD | Lowest amount of acute care beds [44] | 1 | Comparing the healthcare systems of the 9 most developed countries | Measures acute care beds per capita | 2021 |
| International Energy Agency | Fuel-inefficient vehicles [45] | 1 | Ranked against the 53 most developed countries | Measures the fuel economy of private cars from 2005 to 2017 | 2019 |
| Commonwealth Fund | Worst healthcare system [46] | 2 | Comparing the healthcare systems of the 11 most developed countries, Canada ranked 10th - second -to-last. | Measures access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity, and health care outcomes | 2021 |
| University of Calgary | Worst corporate tax system [47] | 2 | Ranked against the 94 most developed countries | Measures openness to foreign direct investment | 2020 |
The Human Poverty Index (HPI) was an indication of the poverty of community in a country, developed by the United Nations to complement the Human Development Index (HDI) and was first reported as part of the Human Development Report in 1997. It is developed by United Nations Development Program which also publishes indexes like HDI It was considered to better reflect the extent of deprivation in deprived countries compared to the HDI. In 2010, it was supplanted by the UN's Multidimensional Poverty Index.
The following are links to some international rankings of the United States.
The Happy Planet Index (HPI) is an index of human well-being and environmental impact that was introduced by the New Economics Foundation in 2006. Each country's HPI value is a function of its average subjective life satisfaction, life expectancy at birth, and ecological footprint per capita. The exact function is a little more complex, but conceptually it approximates multiplying life satisfaction and life expectancy and dividing that by the ecological footprint. The index is weighted to give progressively higher scores to nations with lower ecological footprints.
The following are international rankings of Malaysia.
The where-to-be-born index, formerly known as the quality-of-life index (QLI), was last published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in 2013. Its purpose was to assess which country offered the most favorable conditions for a healthy, secure, and prosperous life in the years following its release.
This is a list of New Zealand's international rankings on a range of social, economic and other criteria.
This is a list of key international rankings of Costa Rica
The Legatum Prosperity Index is an annual ranking developed by the Legatum Institute, an independent educational charity founded and part-funded by the private investment firm Legatum. The ranking is based on a variety of factors including wealth, economic growth, education, health, personal well-being, and quality of life.
The following are international rankings of Vietnam.
This is a list of Australia's international rankings on a range of social, economic and other criteria.
These are the international rankings of the Netherlands.
These are the international rankings of Switzerland.
The OECD Better Life Index, created in May 2011 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, is an initiative pioneering the development of economic indicators which better capture multiple dimensions of economic and social progress.
Wikiprogress is a defunct online platform for sharing information on the measurement of social, economic and environmental progress. It is thought to facilitate sharing on ideas, initiatives and knowledge on "measuring the progress of societies". Like Wikipedia, it was open to all members and communities for contribution – anyone interested in "progress" could register.
The following are international rankings of Israel:
Here is a list of international rankings of Denmark, in terms of Economic, Environmental, Military, Political, and Social aspects.
The following are some international rankings of Norway.
The World Happiness Report is a publication that contains articles and rankings of national happiness, based on respondent ratings of their own lives, which the report also correlates with various life factors.
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