#2
Japan
Famous as a land of captivating contrasts, the ancient and the state-of-the art, Japan is home both to the traditional elegance of the tea ceremony as well as the bullet train; the venerable martial art of karate and Tokyo’s gleaming skyscrapers.
Modern Japan rose from the ashes of World War Two to become, by the 1970s, an economic super-power, one of the most technically advanced countries and the third-biggest economy in the world. It is a still a major manufacturing nation – of vehicles, electronic equipment and steel – but today, the service sector makes up the largest part of the economy in terms of both GDP and the number of people employed.
Japan’s greatest strength in Best Countries stems from having fostered a sense of Entrepreneurship, a measure of how a country is perceived in terms of being innovative, having well-developed digital infrastructure and allowing easy access to capital, along with having a skilled labour force, a robust legal system and transparent business practices. It also has significant cultural influence.
Japan is seen as having the most advanced digital infrastructure and most educated workforce in the world, though affordability is a key concern. It ranks in the top third of all the countries we measure on perceptions of being Open for Business, the Best Countries metric reflecting business and government transparency, bureaucracy and the tax environment.
The 10 factors that determine a country’s brand
Why is Japan seen as the 2nd best country in the world in 2024?
People surveyed for Best Countries were asked how closely they associated 73 attributes with a range of countries. These attributes were then grouped into 10 categories that were used to calculate the Best Countries ranking.
The weighting of each category in the final index is determined by the strength of its correlation to per capita GDP and forecast GDP for 2027.
Japan's top and bottom attributes
Each factor is made up by combining a selection of 73 attributes that track how people perceive each country. These are Japan's top and bottom ones.
#1
Educated population
#1
Innovative
#1
Modern
#76
Favorable tax environment
#71
Religious
#69
Unapproachable
The percepions of Japan have changed over time
Japan has not always been seen as the #2 best country in the world. Explore how the perceptions of Japan have changed over time.
How do people in Japan see the world?
If we were to only ask people in Japan how they see the world the Best Countries ranking would be different. This is how they see it.
