The 40 Most Beautiful Countries in the World

author

Edgar Loper

Updated: 26 May 2026 ·
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Costa Rica
Costa Rica / HonestTraveller / ISTOCK photo by viajar.elperiodico.com
Costa Rica
Costa Rica / Fierce Orchid Media / ISTOCK photo by viajar.elperiodico.com

Choosing the most beautiful country in the world cannot be easy. Beauty is indeed quite subjective.

The World Economic Forum presented its latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report in 2019. This report determines which countries make it onto the list of the most beautiful in the world, taking into account a range of factors: safety, natural resources, life expectancy in each country, the number of UNESCO World Heritage sites, or their animal species...

In the last report, Costa Rica was chosen as the most beautiful country in the world, ahead of Iceland and New Zealand. Other Latin American countries included in the list are Argentina, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Brazil. In the ranking, Spain occupies the tenth position.

There is no doubt that Costa Rica is a small tropical paradise full of natural riches worthy of such mention. Below we show you the ranking, from which interesting conclusions can be drawn. For example, the absence of Italy on this list.

The 40 Most Beautiful Countries in the World are:

Iceland
Iceland / Skyscop photo by viajar.elperiodico.com
Moraine Lake, Canada
Moraine Lake, Canada / sara_winter / ISTOCK photo by viajar.elperiodico.com
San Cristobal de las Casas, located in southern Chiapas (Mexico), is a mountainous city known for its yellow cathedral and architecture.
San Cristobal de las Casas, located in southern Chiapas (Mexico), is a mountainous city known for its yellow cathedral and architecture. / ferrantraite / ISTOCK photo by viajar.elperiodico.com
Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand / thitivong / ISTOCK photo by viajar.elperiodico.com
Montenegro Trendy Destinations near the Adriatic A less polished diamond is this small destination also by the Adriatic Sea. Yet, the world's youngest country has everything one could ask for: mountains, idyllic beaches, and medieval towns like Kotor, hidden among cliffs that preserve the winding layout between Byzantium and Rome.
Montenegro Trendy Destinations near the Adriatic A less polished diamond is this small destination also by the Adriatic Sea. Yet, the world's youngest country has everything one could ask for: mountains, idyllic beaches, and medieval towns like Kotor, hidden among cliffs that preserve the winding layout between Byzantium and Rome. photo by viajar.elperiodico.com
Women picking tea in the Nuwara Eliya plantations in Sri Lanka
Women picking tea in the Nuwara Eliya plantations in Sri Lanka / hadynyah photo by viajar.elperiodico.com
Peru
Peru / ERNESTO BENAVIDES photo by viajar.elperiodico.com
  1. Costa Rica
  1. Iceland
  1. New Zealand
  1. Austria
  1. Dominican Republic
  1. Canada
  1. Norway
  1. Switzerland
  1. Mauritius
  1. Spain
  1. Mexico
  1. Australia
  1. Greece
  1. Kenya
  1. Namibia
  1. Finland
  1. Chile
  1. Thailand
  1. Philippines
  1. Croatia
  1. Portugal
  1. Cyprus
  1. Venezuela
  1. Botswana
  1. Montenegro
  1. Oman
  1. Nepal
  1. Brazil
  1. Seychelles
  1. Slovenia
  1. Ireland
  1. South Africa
  1. Sri Lanka
  1. Uganda
  1. United States
  1. Jamaica
  1. Argentina
  1. Malaysia
  1. Zimbabwe
  1. Peru