Australia placed 14th overall, making it the world's top-ranked non-European country, while Singapore followed closely in 16th place.
They were the only non-European nations to break into the upper tier of the rankings, ahead of Japan (17th), the United States (18th) and Canada (19th).
Patrons dine-in at a bar by the harbor in Sydney, Australia in 2021. Photo by Reuters
Switzerland retained the No. 1 position, followed by Denmark, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. The rest of the top 10 included Norway, the United Kingdom, Finland, Luxembourg and Austria.
Despite Europe's dominance in most categories, Singapore delivered one of the strongest individual performances, ranking first in infrastructure. Researchers highlighted the city-state's advanced transport systems, digital readiness and urban efficiency as key strengths under the revamped methodology.
