U.S. International Rankings

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Data note: Rankings reflect the most recent data available from each source. "Rank" is the U.S. position in the referenced study (1 = best-performing or highest-ranked; direction varies by metric — see Notes column). The Assessment column reflects our judgment of whether the U.S. position is favorable, middling, or a cause for concern. Historical data (2012–2015) is available in the archive.
Assessment key: Good Top tier OK Middle of the pack Poor Concerning Neutral Context-dependent Trend: ↑ improving   ↓ declining   → stable
Category:
Measure Category U.S. Rank # Countries Score / Value Source Year Trend Assessment Notes
World Competitiveness Ranking (IMD) Business 12 / 67 67 — IMD World Competitiveness Center 2024 ↓ OK Note: WEF Global Competitiveness Report was discontinued in 2020. IMD is the benchmark alternative. US was WEF #1 in 2018; now 12th in IMD. Singapore leads in 2025 IMD.
Corruption Perceptions Index Business 28 / 180 180 64 / 100 Transparency International 2024 ↓ OK Rank 1 = least corrupt. Score of 64 is the lowest the US has ever recorded since 2012. Denmark is #1. Score was 76 in 2015.
Number of Billionaires Business 1 / 200 200 ~900 billionaires Forbes 2025 ↑ Neutral U.S. has nearly 4× more billionaires than China (#2). A sign of extreme wealth concentration at the top.
Ease of Doing Business Business 6 / 190 190 84.0 / 100 World Bank 2020 → Good Index discontinued after 2020. New Zealand was #1. U.S. consistently strong in business environment.
Income Inequality (Gini Index) Business 2 / 38 38 0.418 Gini OECD 2023 ↓ Poor Rank 1 = most unequal (Costa Rica is #1). US is the most unequal among wealthy democracies. Higher Gini = greater inequality.
PISA Math Literacy (age 15) Education 26 / 81 81 465 points OECD PISA / NCES 2022 ↓ Poor Below OECD average of 472. US score fell 13 pts from 2018 but ranking rose because other countries fell more. Singapore is #1 at 575.
PISA Reading Literacy (age 15) Education 6 / 81 81 504 points OECD PISA / NCES 2022 → Good Above OECD average. US improved from 8th in 2018. Singapore is #1 at 543.
PISA Science Literacy (age 15) Education 10 / 81 81 499 points OECD PISA / NCES 2022 ↑ OK Above OECD average. US improved from 11th in 2018. Singapore is #1 at 561.
High School Graduation Rate Education 22 / 38 38 87% OECD 2023 ↑ OK Has improved but below OECD average. Most European nations exceed 90%.
Tertiary Education Attainment (adults) Education 4 / 38 38 50% of adults OECD 2023 ↑ Good U.S. leads in college attainment. Canada is #1; however, U.S. college costs are by far the highest globally.
Nobel Laureates (cumulative) Education 1 / 200 200 423 awards Nobel Prize.org / Wikipedia 2024 ↑ Good U.S. leads by a wide margin (through 2024). United Kingdom is #2 with ~130. Reflects the strength of U.S. research universities in attracting global talent.
Human Development Index Health 20 / 193 193 0.927 United Nations (UNDP) 2023 ↓ OK A composite of income, education, and life expectancy. U.S. was #4 in 2011; now #20. Switzerland is #1.
Life Expectancy at Birth Health 46 / 193 193 79.0 years Peterson-KFF / WHO 2024 ↑ Poor Rebounded slightly (79.0 in 2024) but still far behind peers — comparable countries average 82.7 yrs. Japan leads at 84.3 yrs.
Infant Mortality Rate Health 32 / 38 38 5.6 per 1,000 births America's Health Rankings / OECD 2023 → Poor Rank 32 of 38 OECD = among worst. Rank 1 = lowest infant mortality. OECD average is 4.2; US at 5.6 despite highest healthcare spending.
Maternal Mortality Rate Health 38 / 38 38 18.6 per 100,000 Commonwealth Fund / WHO 2023 ↑ Poor Rank 38 of 38 = worst in OECD. Rate improved from 22.3 in 2022 but remains highest among wealthy nations. Most peers are below 5 per 100,000.
Obesity — Adult Prevalence Health 1 / 38 38 42.8% of adults OECD Health at a Glance 2023 ↓ Poor Rank 1 = most obese in OECD. 42.8% of US adults are obese vs. OECD average of 25.7%. Driving diabetes, heart disease, and lower life expectancy.
Healthcare Spending (% of GDP) Health 1 / 38 38 17.6% of GDP Peterson-KFF / OECD 2023 ↓ Neutral U.S. spends ~2× the OECD average per capita yet ranks poorly on outcomes. OECD average is ~9.7%. Germany is #2 at 12.7%.
Drug Overdose Deaths Health 1 / 38 38 32 per 100,000 CDC / OECD 2023 ↓ Poor Rank 1 = highest rate. The opioid / fentanyl crisis is the primary driver. No peer nation is close.
Diabetes Prevalence Health 15 / 193 193 10.7% of population International Diabetes Federation 2023 ↓ Poor High among developed nations. Linked to obesity epidemic and sedentary lifestyles.
Preventable Deaths Rate Health 38 / 38 38 190 per 100,000 Commonwealth Fund 2023 ↓ Poor Rank 38 = worst in OECD. Deaths that could be avoided with timely and effective health care.
Incarceration Rate Society 4 / 200 200 608 per 100,000 Prison Policy Initiative / World Prison Brief 2024 ↑ Poor Rank 4 globally — El Salvador (#1, 1,086), Cuba (#2, 637), and Rwanda (#3, 637) rank higher. Still ~5× the rate of Germany or France. Down from a peak of 750+ in 2008.
Gun Deaths per Capita Society 1 / 38 38 12 per 100,000 WHO / OECD 2023 ↓ Poor Rank 1 = highest in OECD by a large margin. Nearest OECD peer is Chile at ~3.7 per 100,000.
Homicide Rate Society 1 / 38 38 6.9 per 100,000 UNODC 2023 → Poor Highest homicide rate among OECD nations. Japan is #1 (best) at 0.2 per 100,000.
Happiness Index Society 24 / 147 147 — UN World Happiness Report 2025 ↓ OK Lowest-ever US ranking. Researchers cite political polarization and declining social trust among young Americans. Finland is #1.
Press Freedom Index Society 57 / 180 180 — Reporters Without Borders 2025 ↓ OK Lowest-ever US ranking; classified as "problematic." Driven by media consolidation, news deserts, and hostility toward journalists. Norway is #1.
Democracy Index Society 28 / 167 167 7.85 / 10 Economist Intelligence Unit 2024 → OK Classified as "Flawed Democracy" since 2016. Score unchanged from 2023. High on electoral process (9.17) but low on political culture (6.25). Norway is #1.
Gender Gap Index Society 43 / 146 146 0.748 / 1.0 World Economic Forum 2024 → OK Measures parity in economic, education, health, and political opportunity. Iceland is #1 at 0.935.
Poverty Rate Society 37 / 38 38 ~18% OECD 2023 → Poor Rank 37 of 38 = 2nd highest poverty in OECD (only Costa Rica is higher). OECD measure = share below 50% of median income. Czech Republic has the lowest at ~5.5%.
Military Expenditure Military 1 / 170 170 $997 billion SIPRI 2024 ↑ Neutral U.S. accounts for ~37% of global military spending — more than the next 8 countries combined. China is #2 at ~$311B. Whether this level is appropriate is debated.
Global Peace Index Military 128 / 163 163 — Institute for Economics & Peace 2025 ↑ Poor Rank 1 = most peaceful. U.S. ranks below South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda. Scores poorly on gun violence, militarization, and societal conflict. Iceland is #1.
Arms Exports (market share) Military 1 / 100 100 43% of global market SIPRI 2024 ↑ Neutral U.S. share rose from 35% (2015–19) to 43% (2020–24). Top recipients: Japan, Australia, South Korea. Russia is #2 exporter. Revenue vs. proliferation implications are contested.
Nuclear Warhead Stockpile Military 2 / 9 9 ~5,550 warheads SIPRI 2024 → Neutral Russia leads (~5,580). U.S. and Russia together hold ~90% of global nuclear weapons.
Global Innovation Index Technology 3 / 133 133 61.73 / 100 WIPO 2024 → Good Consistently top 3. Switzerland is #1. U.S. leads in venture capital and knowledge outputs.
R&D Spending (% of GDP) Technology 4 / 38 38 3.45% of GDP OECD / SSTI 2023 ↑ Good 4th among OECD nations. Israel leads at 6.35%, South Korea at 4.96%, Sweden at 3.60%. R&D intensity is above OECD average of 2.7%.
Fixed Broadband Download Speed Technology 7 / 200 200 289 Mbps avg. Ookla Speedtest Global Index 2025 ↑ Good Strong improvement in recent years. Singapore is #1 at 372 Mbps. Rural access gaps remain a challenge. Mobile speed ranks 13th at 171 Mbps.
Patent Applications Technology 3 / 150 150 ~248,000 / yr WIPO 2023 → Good China is #1, Japan is #2. U.S. output is high but China has rapidly closed the gap.
AI Research Output Technology 1 / 100 100 Top rank Stanford AI Index 2024 ↑ Good U.S. leads in AI research, private investment, and notable AI systems produced. China is a close second in publications.
CO₂ Emissions per Capita Environment 16 / 200 200 13.8 metric tons Our World in Data / IEA 2023 ↓ Poor Rank 16 = 16th highest per capita (rank 1 = highest). Smaller fossil-fuel-rich nations lead (Qatar, Kuwait, UAE). U.S. emits ~3× the global average per person.
Environmental Performance Index Environment 35 / 180 180 57.2 / 100 Yale / Columbia EPI 2024 → Poor Cited for "insufficiently ambitious environmental and climate policies." Covers air quality, climate, biodiversity, and water. Estonia is #1 at 75.3.
Renewable Energy Share of Electricity Environment 38 / 80 80 22% of electricity International Energy Agency 2023 ↑ Poor Growing rapidly (solar, wind), but well behind Europe. Norway and Iceland exceed 90% renewables.
Plastic Waste per Capita Environment 3 / 100 100 130 kg / year OECD 2023 ↓ Poor Rank 3 = 3rd highest per-capita plastic waste. Recycling rates remain low compared to European peers.
Climate Change Performance Environment 65 / 63 63 Very Low rating Climate Change Performance Index 2026 ↓ Poor Ranks 65th in a 63-country index — ranks 1–3 are always unassigned (no country achieves "Very High"). 2nd-worst overall. Worsened 8 places due to climate policy rollbacks. Denmark leads.

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