Power Rankings
The United States, which is perceived to be the most powerful country, has the world’s largest economy and biggest military budget, spending about $600 billion on military hardware and personnel in 2015. The country is a leader in the so-called War on Terror, is by far the largest contributor to NATO and cements alliances by giving out billions of dollars in military aid to nations worldwide. The U.S. spent about $30 billion in development assistance in 2015 – the most of any country in terms of dollars – but a very small fraction of gross domestic product.
Russia and China, the next two countries perceived to be the most powerful, are among the world’s top four military spenders. Following the top three are the U.K., Germany, France and Japan – countries that have large economies and give out high numbers of international aid. Israel and Saudi Arabia, who take eighth and ninth spots, spend a higher percentage of their GDP on military spending than the U.S.
Countries that were perceived to be less powerful tended to be smaller nations with medium to small economies. Latvia, a small country in northeast Europe, is viewed as the least powerful nation. The Baltic country faces deficit budget spending and despite recent years of growth has not recovered to its pre-2008 recession levels. The Balkan countries of Slovenia and Croatia were also seen as lacking in power, as were Uruguay and Bulgaria, another Balkan nation that is one of the poorest countries in the European Union.
These countries project their influence on the world stage. The United States, Russia and China head this list.

United States
#1 in Best Countries: Power
$17.4 trillion GDP
321.4 million POPULATION
$56,084 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Russia
#2 in Best Countries: Power
$1.9 trillion GDP
144.1 million POPULATION
$25,965 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

China
#3 in Best Countries: Power
$10.4 trillion GDP
1.4 billion POPULATION
$14,340 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

United Kingdom
#4 in Best Countries: Power
$3.0 trillion GDP
65.1 million POPULATION
$41,499 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Germany
#5 in Best Countries: Power
$3.9 trillion GDP
81.4 million POPULATION
$46,974 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

France
#6 in Best Countries: Power
$2.8 trillion GDP
66.8 million POPULATION
$41,476 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Japan
#7 in Best Countries: Power
$4.6 trillion GDP
127.0 million POPULATION
$38,142 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Israel
#8 in Best Countries: Power
$305.7 billion GDP
8.4 million POPULATION
$34,054 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP


Saudi Arabia
#9 in Best Countries: Power
$746.2 billion GDP
31.5 million POPULATION
$53,802 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

United Arab Emirates
#10 in Best Countries: Power
$399.5 billion GDP
9.2 million POPULATION
$67,217 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

South Korea
#11 in Best Countries: Power
$1.4 trillion GDP
50.6 million POPULATION
$36,612 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Canada
#12 in Best Countries: Power
$1.8 trillion GDP
35.9 million POPULATION
$45,602 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Turkey
#13 in Best Countries: Power
$798.4 billion GDP
78.7 million POPULATION
$20,420 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP


Iran
#14 in Best Countries: Power
$425.3 billion GDP
79.1 million POPULATION
$17,346 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Switzerland
#15 in Best Countries: Power
$701.0 billion GDP
8.3 million POPULATION
$58,647 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

India
#16 in Best Countries: Power
$2.0 trillion GDP
1.3 billion POPULATION
$6,187 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Australia
#17 in Best Countries: Power
$1.5 trillion GDP
23.8 million POPULATION
$47,644 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Italy
#18 in Best Countries: Power
$2.1 trillion GDP
60.8 million POPULATION
$35,781 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Sweden
#19 in Best Countries: Power
$571.1 billion GDP
9.8 million POPULATION
$48,199 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

Pakistan
#20 in Best Countries: Power
$243.6 billion GDP
188.9 million POPULATION
$4,906 GDP PER CAPITA, PPP

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