Top 10 'Good' Countries

Skal, Sweden! Raise a glass to the Scandinavian nation, which beat out 162 others to win the overall top spot in the "Good Country Index," a ranking of the world's countries, the Independent reports. The list is based on 35 various indicators from sources such as the World Bank and the UN, separated into the categories of culture, science and tech, prosperity and equality, world order, international peace and security, planet and climate, and health and well-being. The US just missed making the top 20, coming in at No. 21. And in last place—Libya.

"A good country is one that successfully contributes to the good of humanity," British policy adviser Simon Anholt, who established the Good Country Index, tells the Independent. "Of course, it must serve the interests of its own people, but never at the expense of other populations or their natural resources: This is the new law of human survival." Here, the "goodest" 10 of the bunch:

1. Sweden
2. Denmark
3. Netherlands
4. United Kingdom
5. Germany
6. Finland
7. Canada
8. France
9. Austria
10. New Zealand

(The entire list is here.)