Israel ranked as world’s 8th most powerful country
Israel was ranked #25 in the world’s “best countries” list of 2016, as compiled by US News & World Report. The single category in which Israel made the top ten was Power; Israel ranked #8 in that category, and the main reason was its military. The IDF received a score of 9.7 – similar to the US, and second only to Russia’s military, which received a perfect 10. Additional criteria for power included political influence, for which the Jewish state received a score of 7.6, and strong international alliances, for which it got a 5.8. It fared less well in the field of economic influence (2.4) and leadership (2.7). According to the report, Israel is very highly developed in terms of life expectancy, education, per capita income and other human development index indicators, but it also has “one of the most unequal economies in the Western world, with significant gaps between the rich and poor.” The top five “best countries” overall were Germany, Canada, Britain, the US and Sweden. Israel also did well in the Movers category, where it came in 14th place, receiving good scores for being Distinctive, Different and Unique. Surprisingly, it did less well in Entrepreneurship, where it came in at #21. This rank does not jibe with Israel’s reputation as a “start-up nation.” The study and model used to score and rank countries was developed by WPP’s brand strategy firm BAV Consulting and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, in consultation with U.S. News & World Report. A set of 65 country attributes – terms that can be used to describe a country and that are also relevant to the success of a modern nation – were identified, and presented in a survey of more than 16,000 people from across the globe. The more a country was perceived to exemplify a certain characteristic in relation to the average, the higher that country’s attribute score. Attributes were grouped into nine sub-rankings: Adventure, Citizenship, Cultural Influence, Entrepreneurship, Heritage, Movers, Open for Business, Power and Quality of Life.
Israel high on list of best countries for families
A new report by InterNations lists the nineteen best countries to raise a family (according to expats) listed Israel third, just behind Finland and the Czech Republic. The UK and US were not on the list The expats – who were required to have dependents – were asked to rate their chosen countries on a scale of 1 to 7 for 43 issues. Only countries rated by 31 or more participants were included in the survey. Each country was rated based on safety, cost of living, childcare availability and affordability, quality of education, and healthcare. Israel was listed in the top three countries, coming in just behind Finland and the Czech Republic. Just behind Israel, in places four and five, were Austria and Sweden. The other countries, in descending order, were: Norway, Australia, Taiwan, Belgium, Germany, France, Poland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, South Africa, Singapore, Philippines, Mexico and South Korea. According to the Business Insider, Finland topped the list because, “no expat parent had anything negative to say about their children’s health, children’s safety, or children’s well-being in Finland. 70% of expats said the quality of education there is excellent, this is compared to the global average of just 21%.” Israel was ranked fourth last year but came in third this year, since “81% of expat parents are happy with the childcare options and they are similarly positive about the education options, with 84% expressing general satisfaction.”