Overview
The world’s most powerful countries may not necessarily be the most well-liked, but they are the nations that consistently dominate news headlines, preoccupy policymakers and shape economic forecasts. Rightly or wrongly, their foreign and economic policy decisions can have ripple effects all over the world. Their military budgets are tracked religiously. When they make a pledge, at least some in the international community trust they will keep it.
The Best Countries rankings, conducted in partnership with brand strategy firm BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, is based on a survey which asked more than 16,000 people from four regions to associate 60 countries with specific characteristics. The Power subranking is based on an equally weighted average of scores from five country attributes that related to a country's power: a leader, economically influential, politically influential, strong international alliances and strong military alliances. The Power subranking score had a 7 percent weight in the overall Best Countries ranking.
Top 5 Winners
United States
in Best Countries: Power
The United States spends 3.3 percent of its gross domestic product on military expenditures, according to the World Bank.
Russia
in Best Countries: Power
Russia spends 5.0 percent of its gross domestic product on military expenditures.
China
in Best Countries: Power
China spends 2.0 percent of its gross domestic product on military expenditures.
United Kingdom
in Best Countries: Power
The United Kingdom spends 1.9 percent of its gross domestic product on military expenditures.
Germany
in Best Countries: Power
Germany spends 1.2 percent of its gross domestic product on military expenditures.
The United States, which is perceived to be the most powerful country, has the world’s largest economy and biggest military budget, spending about $600 billion on military hardware and personnel in 2015. The country is a leader in the so-called War on Terror, is by far the largest contributor to NATO and cements alliances by giving out billions of dollars in military aid to nations worldwide. The U.S. spent about $30 billion in development assistance in 2015 – the most of any country in terms of dollars – but a very small fraction of gross domestic product.
Russia and China, the next two countries perceived to be the most powerful, are among the world’s top four military spenders. Following the top three are the U.K., Germany, France and Japan – countries that have large economies and give out high numbers of international aid. Israel and Saudi Arabia, who take eighth and ninth spots, spend a higher percentage of their GDP on military spending than the U.S.
Countries that were perceived to be less powerful tended to be smaller nations with medium to small economies. Latvia, a small country in northeast Europe, is viewed as the least powerful nation. The Baltic country faces deficit budget spending and despite recent years of growth has not recovered to its pre-2008 recession levels. The Balkan countries of Slovenia and Croatia were also seen as lacking in power, as were Uruguay and Bulgaria, another Balkan nation that is one of the poorest countries in the European Union.