Israel Is 8th Most Powerful Country in the World, Survey Says
U.S., Russia and China are the three most powerful; Switzerland and Canada are top two 'Best Countries Overall,' where Israel is No. 30.
Israel is the eighth most powerful nation in the world, according to the annual "Best Countries" study conducted by U.S. News and World Report.
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The study evaluated 80 countries on a range of issues, including power, quality of life, citizenship and cultural history, according to the Independent. The "power" category determined "how economically and politically influential a country was and weighed the strength of its international alliances and military," the report said.
In the "Power" category, the United States retained its No. 1 position, followed by Russia and China. But on the list of "Best Countries Overall" the United States was seventh place, with a score of 9.3. Switzerland and Canada were in first and second places, respectively.
Israel was No. 30 on the "Best Countries" list, with an overall score of 3.4. In addition to reaching eighth place in the "Power" category, Israel was No. 19 in the "Movers" category, defined by U.S. News and World Report as having "up-and-coming economics," and in 25th place for "Entrepreneurship" – not surprising for a country that has dubbed itself the Startup Nation.
The Baltic nation of Latvia was ranked the least powerful country in the world, along with Uruguay and Bulgaria, one of the EU's poorest members.