Northwestern Mutual was ranked number 1 on the list of the World's Most Admired Companies for the insurance: life and health industry in 2011. The World's Most Admired Companies list is compiled each year based on surveys of executives, directors, and analysts who rate companies in their industry on nine attributes related to reputation. Over 4,100 business professionals participated in the surveys that evaluated 673 companies from 32 countries across 57 industries. Northwestern Mutual received the highest scores in its industry based on attributes including financial soundness, quality of products/services, and quality of management.