Switzerland ranked best country in the world; US is seventh

Switzerland for the fourth consecutive year sits atop a ranking of the best countries in the world that also showed the U.S. moving up one spot to seventh place. 

Coming in behind Switzerland in the U.S. News 2020 Best Countries poll were Canada, Japan, Germany and Australia. 

The United States grabbed the seventh spot, trailing the United Kingdom.

Those surveyed ranked the U.S. as the most powerful country in the world, but it also suffered a drop in global trust, pollsters found. 

In the survey, Canada was ranked first in perceived quality of life, while Japan was ranked as the most forward-looking country.

Germany also ranked in the top five for perceived sense of entrepreneurship, power and international influence, and Australia received high marks in quality of life, cultural influence and education.

The annual poll, which surveyed more than 36,000 people across 36 countries, found Lebanon, Serbia, Oman, Belarus and Tunisia at the bottom of the list of best countries in the world.