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This Study Reveals the Countries With the Best Reputations in the World

News Maps + Infographics
by Eben Diskin Jun 28, 2019

From people to countries, everyone is worried about their image. That’s why the FutureBrand Country Index exists. Published for the first time since 2014, the index is a worldwide league table measuring global perception of the World Bank’s top 75 countries (by GDP).

To calculate each country’s global perception, a range of metrics were used in a 15-minute online self-completion interview of 2,500 people around the world. These metrics include value system, quality of life, business potential, heritage and culture, tourism, and products and services. Within those metrics, subtopics such as natural beauty, food, tolerance, and political freedom were explored.

Thanks to its natural beauty and rich culture, as well as a favorable quality of life, Japan took the top spot. Norway comes in second for similar reasons, with Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland rounding out the top five. According to the authors of the index, “mindfulness, conscious consumerism, experience as the new currency, the growth of the gig economy, and remote working” were all major factors influencing respondents’ perceptions of other countries.

The US came in at a respectable 12th place, but it definitely has some work to do if it wants to break into the top 10 next year.

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