Switzerland was recently ranked the best country in the world. Here's why.

• US News & World Report conducted a study of the best countries in the world.
• Switzerland ranked No. 1 for its high-ranking governance, health, and culture scores, among others.
• The European country also boasts strong opportunities and economic development, the report found.

The country has universal health coverage through a mandatory private system. Though everyone is covered, the country spends the second-most per capita on healthcare in the world, trailing only the US, according to the Bern University of Applied Sciences.

In 2022, the country had 4.5 physicians per 1,000 residents, compared to 3.7 in the US and the global average of 1.9, according to the World Bank Group.

It did, however, receive a low score for the number of hospital beds per 1,000 residents, at 4.4 in 2023. This is below the European Union average, which was 5.1 beds per 1,000 people in 2022, according to World Bank data.

Swiss residents have access to educational opportunities

Switzerland, which is home to top universities such as the University of Zurich, ranked No. 2 in opportunity. The average number of years spent in formal education for adults aged 25 and older is 13.9 years, according to the report. This is roughly on par with the US, per the State of the Nation Project.

The average annual tuition for Swiss students at public universities was equivalent to $1,427 in 2022-23, according to the OECD.

Though Switzerland has strong educational opportunities, the report found that it lagged behind in economic opportunity, indicated by low scores in income taxation and foreign direct investment.

Despite ranking highly in most major categories, the country fared lower in others

Switzerland ranked 19th in natural environment, with only 12.5% of its land designated as protected areas, compared with 21.1% across the European Union, according to World Bank data.

The country ranked 15th in civic health, having relatively low scores in anxiety, which measures anxiety disorders per 100,000 residents, and income equality, among other metrics.

It also ranked 15th in infrastructure, where the report gave it lower marks on the renewable-electricity metric. The report’s metric excludes hydroelectric power, Switzerland’s biggest renewable electricity source.