The 40 Most Beautiful Countries in the World
Every country in the world has something to offer, from local cuisine to groundbreaking architecture. But actually ranking the most beautiful countries in the world? That's a bit trickier (eye of the beholder, and what not). That’s why we let the World Economic Forum do much of the work for us: Every year, the foundation releases their Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report, a survey that ranks the world’s countries based on various factors, from safety to life expectancy—and yes, even natural resources.
The latter takes into consideration details like total animal species, the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites, and the amount of protected ecosystems—and 2022’s results are as stunning as ever. We pulled the top 30 countries from the all-encompassing “natural resources” section of the WEF’s report, and then polled Traveler editors for their personal picks (consider them bonus entries, if you will) to put together this list of the world’s most beautiful countries. Get ready to swoon.
This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.