"America is the Best"

I have heard that “America is the best country in the world” my whole life. Is it? If it was, wouldn’t it be on one of these top-ten lists? Shouldn’t it be on one of them? It is on zero of them. So, when they say “best,” what do they mean? According to what criteria?

Top ten countries boasting the happiest populations according to the World Happiness Report 2022:

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Iceland

4. Switzerland

5. Netherlands

6. Luxembourg

7. Sweden

8. Norway

9. Israel

10. New Zealand


Top ten countries with the lowest infant mortality rate (Statista):

1. Slovenia

2. Singapore

3. Iceland

4. Monaco

5. Japan

6. Finland

7. Bermuda

8. Norway

9. Czechia

10. Sweden


Countries with the highest literacy rates (World Atlas):

1. Andorra

2. Finland

3. Holy See

4. Liechtenstein

5. Luxembourg

6. Norway

7. North Korea

8. Latvia

9. Estonia

10. Lithuania


Top ten countries with the best healthcare systems (US News & World Report):

1. Denmark

2. Germany

3. Sweden

4. Norway

5. Canada

6. Switzerland

7. United Kingdom

8. Netherlands

9. Finland

10. Belgium


Countries with the fewest gun deaths (University of Sydney):

1. Singapore

2. Japan

3. Hong Kong

4. South Korea

5. Iceland

6. Romania

7. Qatar

8. Poland

9. United Kingdom

10. Azerbaijan