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The State of Israel ranks as the eighth most powerful country in the world, despite its relatively small size and population, according to the Best Countries ranking of 2019.

By TPS

The Best Countries ranking, conducted by U.S. News and World Report in partnership with the BAV Group and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, recently placed Israel at eighth in the world based on a number of key criteria.

The report surveyed over 20,000 people from four regions around the world. Respondents were asked to associate 80 countries with five attributes: military alliances, international alliances, political influence, economic influence, and leadership.

Israel beat countries with vast natural resources such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey as well as richer countries such as Canada and Switzerland.

The US was crowned the most powerful country in the world, followed by Russia, China, and Germany.

With a population of nearly 8.5 million, Israel ranks 101 in population worldwide. In area, Israel ranks even lower, as the 149th largest country in the world.

In the overall score as a country, which included different measures such as quality of life, heritage, and cultural influence, Israel was ranked the 25th best country in the world.