Denmark named world's best country for women

It's not that Denmark has not made it to the list of most liveable countries before. But a new report suggests that the European nation is the world's best country for women to live in.

According to a latest ranking by US News and World Report, more than 7,000 women who filled out surveys for their 2016 best countries rankings gave the highest score to the Kingdom of Denmark. They were asked to rate countries in five attributes: care about human rights, gender equality, income equality, safety and progressiveness.

"Denmark is consistently among the globe's happiest nations, according to the World Happiness Report. And one study found that retired Danish women are the most content all of Europe," the report said. It stated that Danes "may pay among the world's highest taxes, endure long winters and watch the sunset before 4 p.m., but Danish women still remain the envy of many in the world."

Denmark was followed by Sweden, Canada, Netherlands and Australia which made for the top five choices of women. Sweden is also recognised as the most modern country, the best country to raise kids and the No. 1 nation for green living in the report.

The UK is ranked eighth in the best countries for women list, but it made to the third slot in overall best countries index and is also named the best nation for education. New Zealand, Germany, Luxembourg and Austria summed up the top 10 best countries for women.

"Many experts suggest Denmark does well in such studies because of its generous welfare state," researchers of the report said. "Education and health care are virtually free in Denmark. And the country promotes gender equality by offering an earnings-related day care system and a parental leave policy that is among the most flexible in the European Union," they added.

Algeria and Pakistan are perceived to be the worst countries for females in the report because of the nations' criticism by human rights groups for their treatment of women, the report said.

The aim of the ranking revised by brand strategy firm BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was to "capture how nations are perceived on a global scale". "These perceptions contribute to a greater narrative about future drivers and deterrents of economic prosperity in nations and shape powerful brands that impact a country's bottom line," BAV Cosulting CEO John Gerzema said.