Americans and Brazilians are the nationalities that the rest of the world would most like to spend New Year’s Eve with, reveals a global poll conducted by Badoo.com (www.badoo.com), the world’s largest social network for meeting new people.

Brazilians and Americans ranked first and second respectively in an online survey of 17,000 people across 17 countries and four continents, which asked respondents to pick the nationality that they would most like to have for company on New Year’s Eve.

The Spanish came third (top in Europe) and the Italians fourth. The Swiss and Belgians shared last place, making them the nationalities to avoid on New Year’s Eve.

“This seems harsh on the Swiss and Belgians”, says Louise Thompson, Director of PR for Badoo, a site for chatting, flirting, dating and meeting new people, with 168 million users across over 180 countries. “But there may be a view that Americans and Brazilians share more of a talent for celebrating life’s big occasions.

“Plus, settings like Times Square in New York or Copacabana Beach in Rio lend an extra something on New Year’s Eve that not everywhere can match.”

Indeed, few places anywhere can match the magic of New York’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve, when some million revelers gather to watch a giant ball drop from the top of the One Times Square Building, in a tradition dating to 1907.

Brazil, however, does have the advantage that New Year’s Eve falls there in the middle of Brazil’s summer, which makes the climate perfect for huge, outdoor parties of the kind Brazilians like attending to welcome the new year.

Such festivities are held across Brazil but Rio has the best, including Brazil’s most famous New Year’s event – the huge gathering on Copacabana beach, attended annually by some 2.5 million revelers and probably the world’s best New Year’s Eve party.

This makes it over twice as large as the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square. Like the latter, the New Year’s Eve festivities on Copacabana beach are also famed for their spectacular fireworks display. Ocean liners are known to moor nearby to watch it.

World’s Best Nationalities To Join On New Year’s Eve

1. Brazilians

2. Americans

3. Spanish

4. Italians

5. French