Greece is the best country in the world known for culture and heritage, according to a global survey conducted in 2024.
European countries rank in five of the top 10 spots.
The richness of a country’s culture and heritage is often what makes it unforgettable to visitors and cherished by its people.
From ancient ruins to cuisine, music, and tradition, culture helps define national identity and global influence.
This ranking highlights the 40 countries that people around the world think have the best culture and heritage.
The infographic is based on a global survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report that asked 17,000 respondents to evaluate countries based on five key attributes: cultural accessibility, historical significance, food, cultural attractions, and geographic appeal.
Their survey was conducted between March 22nd–May 23rd, 2024.
Thus, these ranks reflect public perceptions and not hard data.
The Best Countries for Culture and Heritage
Greece ranks #1 in culture and heritage thanks to its unparalleled historical legacy.
Culture & Heritage Rank Country
1 🇬🇷 Greece
2 🇮🇹 Italy
3 🇪🇸 Spain
4 🇫🇷 France
5 🇹🇷 Turkey
6 🇲🇽 Mexico
7 🇪🇬 Egypt
8 🇹🇭 Thailand
9 🇵🇹 Portugal
10 🇮🇳 India
As the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, and the Olympic Games, the influence of Greece runs deep.
Respondents also appreciated the country’s food, Mediterranean landscapes, and accessibility to historical sites.
In fact, its tourism sector has been a success story in an otherwise stark decade for Greece and it remains perennially short-staffed in the peak summer season.
Europe Dominates the Top Countries for Best Culture
Europe claims seven of the top 10 spots, with Italy, Spain, and France following Greece.
These countries are rich in UNESCO World Heritage sites, art, and cuisine.
Their long histories of empire, religion, and art have left indelible marks on countries around the world, in turn influencing local cultures.
Rising Cultural Influence from Asia
Thailand, India, and Japan all appear in the top 15, highlighting Asia’s growing cultural impact.
Thailand is recognized for its unique traditions and food, while India’s vast spiritual and architectural heritage boosts its rank.
Japan scores well across the categories, and ranks second on the best countries list as well.
Does Any Country Really Have the Best Culture?
U.S. News designs its “Best Countries” ranking around 73 attributes grouped into 10 thematic subrankings, such as Heritage, Quality of Life, Power, and Entrepreneurship.
For the Heritage subtheme, they used five, equally-weighted attributes mentioned earlier:
Culturally accessible
Has a rich history
Has great food
Many cultural attractions
Many geographical attractions
A survey is distributed globally to about 17,000 respondents, including business leaders, informed elites, and general citizens.
Each participant is shown a random subset of countries (that must meet GDP, tourism, and FDI thresholds) and asked to rate how strongly they associate those countries with each of the five attributes.
These individual attributes are pre-assigned to categories by researchers, and scores are normalized on a 0–100 scale to determine final ranks.
