In 2023, 20% of adults said that the U.S. is the greatest country in the world.
Another 52% said that the U.S. is at least one of the greatest countries. However, I would argue that it doesn’t even crack the top 10.
While the metrics used to assess which countries are the greatest vary, some standard metrics include gross domestic profit (GDP), education quality, geography and climate, social equality, entrepreneurship, military power, and quality of life.
When observing these metrics, a few faults become apparent, one of which is education. According to Data Pandas, the U.S. ranked 19th in scores on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2022. The general public is also unsatisfied with education in the U.S., as 51% of Americans say public K-12 education is going in the wrong direction. Many factors have contributed to the decline of the U.S. education system, including struggles recovering from the pandemic, a special education teacher shortage, high student-teacher ratios, and an increasingly high number of underqualified teacher hires, according to Elevate K12.
The U.S. also lags behind in other important metrics. According to U.S. News, the U.S. ranks 22 in quality of life, 24 in income equality, and 55 in racial equity.
While it is essential to acknowledge the U.S.’ flaws, it does perform well when considering other metrics. According to the World Population Review, the U.S. had a GDP of $28.78 trillion in 2024, the highest in the world. The U.S. also ranked second in entrepreneurship, according to U.S. News.
Aside from economics, the U.S. also performs incredibly well when assessing global power. The U.S. ranks second in military power and ranks first in international influence.
The U.S. should be commended for its incredible prowess in economics and global influence, but its issues and flaws prevent it from truly being the greatest country in the world.
Although 20% of adults may believe the U.S. is the greatest country, 27% of adults believe that other countries are superior, a percentage that has increased by six from 2019 to 2023.
According to the Pew Research Center, the issues Americans point to as the top problems the U.S. faces include inflation, bipartisan coordination, healthcare costs, and drug addiction. If the U.S. wants to slow the decline of national pride, it must first address these key issues.
*This editorial reflects the views of the Editorial Board and was written by Linda Reeder. The Editorial Board voted 6 in agreement, 4 somewhat in agreement, 2 in disagreement, and 1 refrained from voting.
