I can't research this at the moment but a couple obvious explanations: - The USA is massive compared to every first-world nation (in the West) in terms of size

I can't research this at the moment but a couple obvious explanations: - The USA is massive compared to every first-world nation (in the West) in terms of size / population / schools. I'd be shocked if a place like Sweden were somehow the top, statistically. - I know a few people who came from India to study here because it put them on a fast track for a visa (or whatever they're using to work here after graduating). So they based it on post-grad opportunities, not the education itself.