Who’s a ‘good country’? Russia almost tied with US in contributing to humanity

On the annual list ranking the “goodest” countries in the world by their contribution to humanity, the US has slid to the 40th place, barely ahead Russia and behind much of Europe.

“Because we live in a massively interconnected, interdependent age, an age of advanced globalization, it made a lot of sense to look at how countries affect each other and affect the whole system,” said Simon Anholt, the project's co-founder.

Finland led the list, with Ireland, Sweden, Germany and Denmark rounding out the top five. The US slid down to 40 – down from 25th place two years ago – while Russia ranked just one spot below, rising by 54 ranks from a previous survey.

Despite Washington’s claim to moral authority in the international arena, the US took a serious hit in the international peace and security category where it ranked 98th, significantly behind Russia at 26. The category weighed factors such as arms sales and participation in violent conflicts.

Russia also scored better in the science & technology, planet and climate, and even prosperity and equality – while the US was ahead in health, world order and culture, though for some reason the greatest exporter of cultural norms in the world still ranked only 63rd.

Other eye-catching results included Ukraine dropping 21 places in a single year to rank 75th, and the countries occupying the bottom of the list – Yemen, Libya and Iraq – which have been devastated by war and turmoil involving both Washington and its allies.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!