Canada Ranking

Why Canada ranks #18

Canada scores 67.8 out of 100 in Magna Bureau national power rankings, placing it 18th of 195 countries. It sits one place below the United Arab Emirates at number 17 and one place above Malaysia at number 19. Canada's ranking rests on strong institutions and deep integration with the world's largest economy, a strength that also leaves it exposed.

Strengths

Its strongest component is Institutional position at 72.0. Canada runs a Five-Eyes-class global intelligence apparatus, it holds NATO Article 5 cover, and it spends 2.0 percent of GDP on defense, a level serious enough to deter and disciplined enough to afford. Inflation of 2.4 percent sits in the livable band, so money holds its value and plans hold their shape.

Weaknesses

Its weakest component is Reach at 22.6. Canada accounts for only 0.6 percent of global arms exports, it holds no seat on the UN Security Council, and it has no nuclear weapons, so it faces nuclear-armed states without a last word of its own. It has no sovereign wealth fund, so the boom years left receipts rather than savings.

Trajectory

Quarterly momentum is minus 4. September was painful: the United States banned roughly 1 billion dollars of Canadian imports after imposing 50 percent tariffs on some 20 billion dollars of goods over the summer, with dollar-for-dollar retaliation. The Trajectory component scores 42.5. On military capability, Canada scores 43.26, ranked 35th, and the country is led by Prime Minister Mark Carney.