Kenya has maintained its 53rd global spot that it held in 2020.
Kenya is the fourth best country in Africa and 53rd globally, according to the 2021 Best Countries ranking released by the US News and World Report Best Countries rankings for 2021.
In Africa Kenya (which maintains the same spot it occupied in 2020) trails Egypt, Morroco and South Africa ranked 33rd, 38th and 41st globally.
Canada is the best country in the world followed by Japan and Germany in the second and third positions. The other countries in the top ten include Switzerland, Australia, United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Sweden and Netherlands.
In Africa, the other country that made it into the top five include Tunisia (65th globally).
The 2021 rankings released on 13th April 2021 feature global perceptions about 78 countries chosen because they contribute most to the world’s GDP.
Why are the Rankings a Big Deal?
Well, according to the report, formed in partnership with BAV Group, a unit of global marketing communications company VMLY&R, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, more than 17,000 people around the world were asked to evaluate the countries based on 76 attributes ranging from political stability to racial equity to health consciousness.
These attributes were further broken down into 10 sub rankings namely; Adventure, Agility, Cultural Influence, Entrepreneurship, Heritage, Movers, Open for Business, Power, Social Purpose and Quality of Life. Participants assessed how closely they associated an attribute with a nation.
A third of the survey respondents were business leaders; one-third were college-educated individuals who were middle class or higher; and one-third were from the general population.
‘‘The more a country was perceived to exemplify a certain characteristic in relation to the average, the higher that country’s attribute score and vice versa,’’ notes the report.
This year, Agility and Social Purpose ranking were introduced to assess the responsiveness and adaptive capabilities of countries to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated challenges.
Kenya’s Score in 10 Key Indicators:
Who Was Surveyed?
In order to arrive at the 2021 findings, the survey engaged citizens of various countries ‘‘who are broadly representative of the global population, with an emphasis on those who would deem the topic and findings most relevant to their lives.’’
Three broad groups were identified:
- Informed elites – college-educated individuals who consider themselves middle class or higher and who read or watch the news at least four days a week;
- Business decision-makers – senior leaders in an organization or small business owners who employ others; and
- General public – adults at least 18 years old who were nationally representative of their country in terms of age and gender.
A total of 17,326 individuals from 36 countries in four regions – the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East & Africa – were surveyed.
Of the respondents, 10,068 were informed elites, 4,919 were business decision-makers and 5,817 were considered general public with some of the respondents considered both informed elites and business decision-makers.
The identified participants took an online survey through Lightspeed GMI, a global market research and data collection firm. ‘‘We aimed to gather an equal share of responses from each type of citizen,’’ says the report.
Kenya’s performance in other indicators:
Why Canada Beat Them All
While it is the first time that Canada came top in the rankings that began six years ago, the country posted exceptional scores in almost every indicator.
Key areas that earned the North American state favourable perceptions include the quality of life, social purpose, agility, entrepreneurship, and an “open for business” climate.
It was also perceived by a majority of respondents as having a good track record in the job market, in dealing with corruption and impressive commitment to social justice and human rights.
‘‘There’s very, very little controversy that happens [in Canada], so it’s a country that people feel very positive about,” says Professor David Reibstein, of Wharton University of Pennsylvania and a key figure in the annual report.
Asia, Middle East and Africa Have More Favorable Views on the COVID-19 Pandemic Aftermath
The report shows that a majority of the respondents in the Asia and Middle East & Africa feel more socially connected and that society has become more caring since the pandemic.
‘‘For example, at least 70% of those surveyed in both regions say that society has become more caring. The percentages were lower for those two pandemic-related survey questions in Europe and the Americas; less than 50% of respondents in both regions say they feel more socially connected since the crisis,’’ notes the report.
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Chiimbiru Gimode 