#9
Norway
Norway is an affluent and well-developed country built on a strong oil and gas industry, fishing, and tourism thanks to its dramatic and extensive scenic coastline.
It is seen as having a robust and stable economy, and a strong focus on community and sustainability.
Norway has climbed two places in the Best Countries ranking this year, and is a star performer on attributes linked to Social Purpose and being Open for Business. It leads the world on caring about the environment, being committed to climate goals, and caring about human rights, and is #1 on Best Countries for gender equality as well as fourth for social justice.
It is also seen as offering a stable economic and political environment, having an educated population, and being largely free of corruption and bureaucracy. It’s the happiest country in the world, according to Best Countries, is seen as friendly and safe, and is in the top 10 countries where people say they’d like to live.
The 10 factors that determine a country’s brand
Why is Norway seen as the 9th best country in the world in 2026?
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 2030.
Norway'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 Norway's top and bottom ones.
#1
Cares about human rights
#1
Cares about the Environment
#1
Committed to climate goals
#77
Cheap manufacturing costs
#74
Strong military
#67
Affordable
The percepions of Norway have changed over time
Norway has not always been seen as the #9 best country in the world. Explore how the perceptions of Norway have changed over time.
How do people in Norway see the world?
If we were to only ask people in Norway how they see the world the Best Countries ranking would be different. This is how they see it.
