The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have risen through the ranks of the most influential soft power nations faster than any other countries in the world, according to the new iteration of the Global Soft Power Index by Brand Finance, the world's leading brand evaluation consultancy.
The three Gulf nations have recorded remarkable improvements in the ranking over the past five iterations of the Global Soft Power Index with the United Arab Emirates climbing 8 ranks to 10th, Saudi Arabia also 8 ranks to 18th, and Qatar 10 ranks to 21st, since the inception of the study in 2020.
All are characterised by conscious efforts to grow their soft power through nation branding projects, diplomatic initiatives, and by hosting major events. The Gulf nations are seeing enhanced Influence and Reputation as well as strengthening International Relations and Business & Trade credentials, with the United Arab Emirates receiving 10/10 marks and top position globally on the key ‘strong and stable economy’ attribute this year.
The United Arab Emirates has successfully staged the high-profile EXPO 2020 and COP28. Qatar’s improvement follows the 2022 football world cup, which FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the best in history. Similarly, Saudi Arabia is seeing stronger perceptions following significant investments in tourism and football which have earned global media attention.
Elsewhere, the United States and the United Kingdom are the most influential soft power nations in the world, China is ranked 3rd, surpassing Japan and Germany.
Brand Finance publishes the Global Soft Power Index based on a survey of more than 170,000 respondents from over 100 countries to gather data on global perceptions of all 193 member states of the United Nations. Thanks to the scope of the survey, the Index is the world’s most comprehensive study on perceptions of nation brands, providing an in-depth analysis of the evolving status of soft power as nations navigate significant global changes and challenges.
Soft power is defined as a nation’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviours of various actors in the international arena (states, corporations, communities, publics, etc.) through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion. Each nation is scored across 55 different metrics to arrive at an overall score out of 100 and ranked in order from 1st to 193rd.
