Sweden the best country for an immigrant
Sweden is the Best Country to be an Immigrant, according to new analysis from U.S. News & World Report. Canada, Switzerland, Australia and Germany round out the top five. Part of the Best Countries report, the new ranking assesses the international perceptions of 80 countries, their immigration policies and economic data.
According to Eric Gertler, co-chairman of U.S. News and the New York Daily News, the experience of creating the best countries ranking showed them that many people view immigration as the most important issue in the world.
"The 2017 Best Countries rankings revealed that more than 40 percent of respondents view immigration as the most important issue for our world to solve," said Gertler, who was recently honored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York as a 2017 Great Immigrant. "With the recent spotlight on immigration in the U.S. and abroad, we wanted to dive into its potential benefits and challenges on a country's perceived economic status in the world."
Sweden had become a popular destination for refugees from Africa and the Middle East over the past few years, taking in more per capita than any other European nation at the height of the migrant influx in 2015. Though the U.S. News ranking is not designed to look at refugee or asylum policy specifically, it does consider measures relevant to it.
Sweden wasn't the only Nordic country to fare well — Norway, Finland and Denmark also took places in the top 10, largely due to favorable perceptions found in the survey about their economies and commitment to income equality. Other countries, such as Canada and Switzerland, were given positive marks not only for their economy but also integration measures for immigrants, such as language training.
The U.K., often considered attractive to immigrants because of its strong jobs market and recent economic stability, only came in at number 17, the ranking’s authors said, because the UN considers it one of only six countries in the study to pursue immigration policies designed purely to benefit the native population.
Tunisia, Guatemala and Kenya ranked at the bottom of the 80 countries in the list.
The rankings have been compiled by American website U.S. News, which surveyed 21,000 people across the globe. Respondents were asked how much they associated countries with a number of statements, four of which were: "economically stable," "good job market," "income equality" and "is a place I would live." Additional factors include data from the World Bank and the United Nations on the share of migrants per population, the amount of remittance migrants send to their country of birth and analysis on immigration policies.
Top 10 Best Countries to Be an Immigrant
1. Sweden
2. Canada
3. Switzerland
4. Australia
5. Germany
6. Norway
7. United States
8. Netherlands
9. Finland
10. Denmark