As Brits, one of our favourite hobbies is talking shit about the country we call home. Whether it’s politics, the weather or the state of public transport, there’s always something to get riled up about. It can be easy to forget that actually, the UK has some good things going for it.
And you don't need to take our word for it, as the UK has actually just been revealed as the ninth best nation in the world. That’s according to the Best Countries ranking, anyway, a huge joint project by US News and World Report, marketing company WPP and a business school from the University of Pennsylvania. Researchers analysed 73 attributes of 87 different countries using data from a survey of over 17,000 people.
According to US News, Britain ranked highly for its ‘global influence’, being at the ‘scientific and technological fore’ and having some of the ‘top universities in the world’ and scored 92.4 out of 100 overall. We did best in the entrepreneurship, cultural influence and power categories but lost major points for affordability (thanks, cost-of-living crisis) and scored a pitiful 2.2 out of 100 on the all-important sexy scale.
Still, a spot on the top ten is a pretty respectable place to be. Switzerland, Canada and Sweden topped the ranking in first, second and third place respectively, while Australia and the US followed in fifth and sixth place. Read the full ranking on US News here.
Did you see that this UK city is cracking down on Airbnbs?
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.