Eyeing up a move Down Under? Australia has just been crowned the fifth best country in the world. From a high quality of life to lots of opportunity for adventure, discover what makes Australia a special place to be.
Australia has recently been crowned the fifth best country in the world. Every year, U.S. News creates an overall ranking of the best countries in the world by measuring them against a variety of metrics. This is not the first time that Australia has been adorned with similar accolades. Its cities regularly score highly in the Global Liveability Report, and for 2024, Melbourne was the fourth most liveable city in the world, and Sydney was joint seventh (with Vancouver, Canada).
For the U.S. News Best Countries 2024, this was the top ten: Switzerland, Japan, United States, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Denmark. Countries were ranked on the following criteria out of a score of 100: adventure, agility, cultural influence, entrepreneurship, heritage, movers, open for business, power, quality of life, and social purpose.
Australia’s overall score was 92.9. Australia’s score is influenced by its strong economy, with a GDP of $1.72 trillion. It scored highest in agility (88.3), which the report describes as an ability to adapt and respond to obstacles.
Adventure: friendly people, plenty of opportunity for fun
Surfer at Bondi Beach.
For many, a move and/or a property purchase is all about kickstarting a new adventure. Meeting new people, taking up new hobbies, exploring unfamiliar cities and the countryside. Even if you are thinking of moving to a major city, there are plenty of opportunities to break out of the daily humdrum and embrace adventure.
The report broke down adventure to look at factors such as scenery, fun, and friendless. Luckily, for those hoping to make the move Down Under, Australia got a near-perfect mark of 95.5 for friendliness.
Plus, if what you are after is heart-pounding adventure, you could be skydiving over Mission Beach, surfing huge waves in Bondi Beach and exploring the unique fauna and flora of the outback. The adventurous side of Australia also ranked highly for good for tourism.
A high quality of life, if a little expensive
In this category, Australia scores highly for its well-developed education and public healthcare systems. It is achieved highly for economic and political stability, as well as a good market. Those looking to move or start a family will be pleased to know that it is safe and family friendly. However, Australia ranked low for affordability. In the Property Guides Cost of Living Index 2024, we compared the cost of living of like-for-like items in 12 countries and the UK. Australia proved to be the second most expensive country, with only neighbouring New Zealand coming out as pricier.
Social purpose: from animal to property rights
Australia scored an overall 88.2 in the social purpose category, and performed particularly well for caring about animal rights, human rights and the environment. Australia has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. The Powering Australia Plan is a commitment of $23 billion to grow and modernise Australia’s electricity. To care for its marine life, Australia has established a National Representative of Marine Protected Areas, which covers 45% of its waters.
Australia also scored highly for respecting property rights, trustworthiness and gender equality.
Where else did Australia score highly?
As well as the U.S. News Best Countries 2024, U.S. News creates lists of countries in separate categories. Australia was ranked as the fourth best country for comfortable retirement and starting a career. It ranked sixth for solo travel and study abroad. Plus, it ranked eighth for both education and raising a family.
What’s important to you?
While the report is seeking to be even-handed in its judgments, that doesn’t mean you have to be. Quality of life may matter more than to you than cultural influence. And, as cultural influence goes, Australian television has always been a gleaming force, whether its Neighbours or Bluey. While Switzerland always tends to do well on these rankings, it has just 1,600 hours of sunshine a year, half that of Australia. And for many, a big dose of sunshine is a huge contributor to why a country may be their favourite place to be.
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