Top 10 Cleanest Countries in the World

The Top Ten
1 Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a sovereign and unitary monarchy in Northern Europe whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula plus the island Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard... read more

Norway is, without a doubt, one of the world's cleanest countries. It is spotless everywhere, from the big cities to the rural areas. Norwegians are disciplined and know how to properly dispose of their trash. They make sure that their country is free from any dirt.

I went to a music festival in Norway where they literally checked the portable toilet after each person used it, to see if it needed to be cleaned. If you dropped trash on the grass, it would literally be picked up within 5 minutes!

Immaculate... and this is again, as with Japan, because the Norwegians have a thought process which lends itself to improvement and tidy productivity!

2 Sweden Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe.

It borders Norway to the west and Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund. At 450,295 square kilometers (173,860 sq mi), Sweden is the third-largest... read more

Sweden, the country I live in, is the cleanest. It is surrounded by other great countries that are very clean as well, like Finland, Norway, Switzerland, and Denmark. By far, this area of the world is the cleanest in terms of trash, crime, and sheer beauty.

America could learn some things from Sweden, Iceland, and Finland. Just saying. Sweden is a very beautiful place, and I would love to visit there for a long time in the future.

Sweden is the cleanest, and so perhaps are its neighbours. Except Finland, that dirty dump doesn't deserve to be mentioned in this list.

3 Denmark Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the most populous and politically central constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean. European Denmark is the southernmost... read more

Denmark is a very clean country. They have trash bins all over the city of Copenhagen, and we saw people hired to collect trash many times - both in the city, stations, and parks. So good!

Greenland is a part of Denmark, and Denmark itself is well-kept.

Where is the garbage? I can't see it.

4 Singapore Singapore, officially known as the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It is situated approximately one degree of latitude (137 kilometers or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It borders the Strait of Malacca... read more

Singapore has some of the toughest regulations regarding littering, sanitation, and environmental concern. I can see why Singapore is quite clean. Even my father, who is Singaporean, is particularly strict about cleanliness, both at home and when we are out. However, its cleanliness hasn't reached the level of some European cities or even Japan's standard of cleanliness.

Singapore is the cleanest country. If you don't agree, you should read the law book. We watched someone get arrested for throwing gum on the ground and taking durian onto a train!

5 Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities... read more

Every inch of the country is spotless, with even the water being so clean and clear, almost like crystals. The environment looks pristine and flawless. I remember reading an article in a magazine that suggested anyone wanting to improve their body health should vacation in Switzerland. Numerous researches and reports state that Switzerland is the cleanest country on earth, boasting the best environmental records.

I traveled to Switzerland a while back and everything was so clean. It was quite a shock for me personally because I knew it would be clean, but not that clean. Public transport and roads are clean, water is clean, and bathrooms are clean. They have a very good waste removal system for recycling.

6 Austria Austria was Celtic (Hallstadt) then as Noricum, part of the Roman Empire, Alaric, who took over Rome, studied at a monastery near Vienna. In the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Emperors moved to Vienna, then Austria became separate. Medieval documents from Eastern Europe as far as West Ukraine were often... read more

Vienna is so clean, even though it's a capital. Also, they literally mop or sweep all of the roads. If you litter, you will be attacked by about 100 people.

In my opinion, Austria is the most beautiful and cleanest country in the world.

7 India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous democracy in the world. Its capital is New Delhi. Some other major cities are Mumbai, Chennai, and Ahemdabad... read more

Love my land... Though some efforts are yet to be made... But because of the new revolution in cleanliness, we are expected to reach the top by 2019.

India is a very secular, prosperous, and clean country.

In my view, India is better than the countries ranked below it.

8 Canada Canada is a country in North America that is next to the United States, and it's the 2nd largest country in the world by area (size is 9.985 million km²). This country has 10 provinces, and 3 territories. Canada became a dominion on July 1, 1867. Its 10 provinces are: Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec,... read more

Canada is by far the cleanest country in the world. This is mainly because of the way Canadians think and how much they want to keep their country clean. But of course, if you go into Toronto or Montreal, there will be trash and grime in certain areas. However, you expect that in every major city around the world.

Cleaner than America. I am a Canadian, and I think Canada, Sweden, Germany, and Australia are better than the United States.

I've seen people in Canada stop what they were doing and clean up trash from the floor. It's pretty clean, alright.

9 France France, officially the French Republic, is a sovereign state comprising territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European part of France, called metropolitan France, extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to... read more

The less clean areas are Paris and Nice (the two most touristic places, together attracting more than 47 million visitors per year). Paris is not the largest capital city by far, and Nice has only 800,000 inhabitants. However, this is only true for a few quarters. All the villages, including stunning medieval ones, are clean, and the landscape is also pristine. The numerous hiking trails, castles, churches, and beaches (more than 40,000 km of coast) are well-maintained.

Well, it's really cleaner than we expected, even cleaner than most European countries we have visited, especially in Southern and Eastern Europe. The only place that's a bit dirty is the touristic areas of Paris. But as soon as you leave these areas, it's really clean. The countryside, villages, and ocean coast are without any trash.

10 Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is one of the four official capitals of the European Union (together with Brussels,... read more
The Contenders
11 Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland across Estonia to the south. Finland covers an area of 338,455... read more

Finland is in the top 5. Over 75% of Finland is forest, and it is growing every year. The country invests heavily in renewables. In contrast, England's forests have been obliterated, India has serious problems with pollution, and China releases over 3.8 billion tonnes of coal into the atmosphere each year. France has conducted nuclear testing, the oil industry in Canada destroys its forests and natural beauty, and Colombia has massive slums. This list seems like a joke.

I have been there! It's the best. Finland has the kindest people in the world.

This list is a joke. Finland belongs at least in the top ten.

12 United States The United States of America, or the U.S.A. for short, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, 48 of them are contiguous states. There are two other states, Alaska and Hawaii, which are north and south of the contiguous states, respectively. The United States declared its independence from the... read more

More better roads and streets. Beautiful houses. Whenever I pass by their houses, I can see beautiful gardens and arranged things. Very clean country too, and intelligent people. I am American and was born in NJ. Everywhere I go, New York City is very clean. The USA is way cleaner than Mexico. I would like to visit European countries. They are clean like Canada and the USA. The USA deserves to be on this list.

I think the USA is underrated. I live in the USA and have been to many other countries. I think the USA is not the cleanest but still deserves to be on the list! It is one of the cleanest countries, if not the cleanest.

13 United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly shortened to United Kingdom, UK or Britain is a Sovereign State located of the Northwestern coast of Europe. It is a Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy currently lead by Monarch Queen Elizabeth II and its current prime minister is... read more
14 Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia in the Pacific Ocean. It lies off the eastern coast of the Asia Mainland (east of China, Korea, Russia) and stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and near Taiwan in the southwest... read more

I come from Japan but live in Australia. The first time I came here, I said to my mum, "Is this really Australia? It looks more like a junkyard." Well, I got used to Australian culture, and when I go back to Japan, I think, "What is this! It's so clean!" Literally, I go to have a bath, and when I hop in the bathtub, it goes "squeak!" My grandma probably scrubbed it until it got scratched!

Japan is so clean and comfortable, you don't even have to worry about your possessions getting dirty. Their public toilets are extremely clean, except maybe in tourist sites such as Dotonbori in Osaka, where the public toilet can be a bit smelly and dirty, probably due to the tourists visiting there. Other than that, the whole country is very, very clean!

15 Germany Germany was formally united in 1871 under the initiative of Bismarck with King Wilhelm of Prussia as emperor. The previous 'Holy Roman Empire', basically a continuation of the empire of Charlemagne/Karl der Grosse was dissolved in 1806... read more

I am from Germany and can tell you that the city of Hamburg plans to be car-free by 2020.

Germany is one of the most developed countries, and it is extremely beautiful.

They use more renewable energy than any other country on Earth.

16 Iceland Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its surrounding areas) is home to over 65% of the population. Iceland is the only part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that... read more

Why is this 12? This should be number 1. It is the cleanest country in the world and it's so beautiful, but it has a low population and young, beautiful people too!

Iceland is more than beautiful! It has 100% clean water, and almost no one smokes!

The population of Iceland is really low, which contributes to its cleanliness.

17 New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
It is situated 1,500 kilometres (900 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington,... read more

New Zealand is clean. It's definitely cleaner than France. France is pretty dirty now. In New Zealand, not many people roam around and smoke. But when I went to France, lots of people were smoking. They didn't even look around to see if there were any children.

I think people are just voting for their own countries. How are countries like China and India above New Zealand?

New Zealand is the greatest and most magnificent country in my experience!

18 Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi), Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and... read more

Ok, I just have to say that Australia cannot be considered below Japan in this listing. I do have a biased opinion, being Australian, but we are very clean people.

We have amazingly harsh (but great) cigarette laws that have cut smoking rates in half in recent times. We also have almost zero pollution in our cities. The closest thing we had was a dust storm that came through Sydney almost 10 years ago. We do not have dirty high-rise apartments that destroy our skyline and become homes to trash. Most Aussies live in stand-alone dwellings which invoke a sense of pride and cleanliness. Look at an aerial photo of any Aussie city, and you'll see what I mean.

19 Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia (independence since 1991), is a sovereign state at the crossroads of Central Europe, Southeast Europe, and the Mediterranean. Its capital city is Zagreb. It is a member of the European Union. During the Cold War it was part of Yugoslavia. It is a cultural... read more
20 Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. The unrecognised breakaway region of Transnistria lies across the Dniester on the country's eastern border with Ukraine. Moldova's... read more
21 Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and the Adriatic Sea to the southwest. Slovenia is mostly mountainous and forested, covers 20,271 square kilometres... read more

Slovenia seems to be completely overlooked in most of these lists since they are based on people voting (hence India being fourth here at the time I write this). But any legitimate list will tell you that Slovenia is undoubtedly one of the cleanest countries on the planet.

22 Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine and Belarus to the east; and the Baltic Sea, Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) and Lithuania to the north. With a population of approximately... read more
23 Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country, covering approximately 600,000 square kilometres (230,000 sq mi), and has a population of around 40 million people. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast; by Belarus to the north; by Poland, Slovakia, and... read more
24 Serbia Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia, is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the southeast, North Macedonia to the south,... read more

Clean and beautiful. I had no words when I first arrived there. Serbia, in my opinion, deserves the nickname Perfectland!

25 England England, previously the Kingdom of England, is a constituent country of the United Kingdom along with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

England can trace its history as far back as the 10th century, but modern England didn't start till the Norman Invasion of 1066. In 1535, England annexed... read more

Compared to places like India, England really shouldn't be ranked this low. However, to be fair, there is a real split between the really nice areas and the really bad ones. If people have only seen the bad ones, they would think it's vile! Parts of Central London, for example, are really dirty, especially when the bin men are on strike. But then, go to the Cotswolds, and it's a different story altogether!

It depends on where you are in England. My water comes from one of the UK's cleanest rivers. When you visit the rivers up in the moors, they are very transparent, although our water has more iron and less calcium than it should.

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