'Country of the Year': Political turnaround earns this war-scarred nation a nodSyrian scouts play music in the street as part of Christmas celebrations in the old city of Damascus on December 25, 2025. MANILA, Philippines — British current affairs journal The Economist named Syria as its country of the year for 2025, saying it was the nation that improved the most over the past year. In its annual assessment, the magazine said it does not select the happiest, richest, or most powerful country as "country of the year," since these predictably skew toward certain regions, such as the Nordic countries or superpowers. Instead, it chooses the country it judges to have made the greatest improvement during the year. Moldova , where voters thumbed down a pro-Russia party.

Source: Philippine Star January 03, 2026 03:35 UTC