About Brand Finance4Get in Touch4Acknowledgements5Introduction8by David Haigh,Chairman, Brand FinanceGlobal Soft Power Index 202510 Methodology18 Understanding the Global Soft Power Index28by Kevin Woods, Head of Research, Brand Finance Survey Country Coverage34 Executive Summary26 Global Soft Power Index Analysis28by Konrad Jagodzinski,Place Branding Director, Brand FinanceThe Global Soft Power Index Medal Table40by Richard Haigh,Managing Director, Brand Finance Insights44 Soft Power is built in the everyday: The experiences that shapeFamiliarity,Reputation, andInfluence 46by Katrina Rogala,Associate Director - Insights, Brand Finance Does sustainability drive Soft Power?50by Robert Haigh,Strategy & Sustainability Director, Brand Financeand Sofia Liszka,Senior Strategy & Sustainability Consultant, Brand Finance Domestic & global perception gaps: Aligning internal confidence and external credibility in Nation Branding54by Aglaë Perrin,Senior Place Branding Analyst, Brand Financeand Anežka Postlerová,Place Branding Analyst, Brand Finance Beyond the game: Measuring sport’s impact on Nation Brand strength60by Scott Moore,Sports Services Manager, Brand Finance Soft Power under strain: Shifting perceptions of global institutions66by Aleksandr Oniscenko,Associate Director - Research, Brand Finance Nation Brand Spotlights70 China72by Wu Liming,Chief Correspondent of China's Xinhua News Agency London Bureauand Gao Wencheng,Correspondent of China's Xinhua News Agency London BureauCosta Rica74by Adriana Acosta Rivas,Place Branding, Marketing & Communications Director, esencial Costa Rica El Salvador76by Morena Ileana Valdez Vigil,Minister of Tourism, El Salvador Estonia78by Eliis Randver,Head of Marketing and Campaigns, Enterprise Estonia (EIS) New Zealand80by David Downs,CEO, New Zealand Story South Africa82by Sithembile Ntombela, General Manager of Marketing, Brand South Africa Sweden84by Sofia Bard,Head of Unit, Sweden Image Analysis Unit, Swedish Institute Switzerland86by Alexandre Edelmann,Head of Presence Switzerland About Brand Finance Acknowledgements Brand Finance Plc wishes to express thanks to all organisations and individuals who have contributedto the completion and promotion of this study: Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand evaluation and strategyconsultancy. Brand Dialogue LtdBrand South AfricaDepartment of Global Communications, United NationsEnterprise Estoniaesencial Costa RicaForeign Commonwealth and Development OfficeFreudsGoals HouseHarry Walker AgencyLive LabLondon Speaker BureauMarkutt Immobilien GmbHMinistry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of PolandMinistry of Tourism, El SalvadorNew Zealand StoryPresence SwitzerlandPT Ski LtdSwedish InstituteTata Consultancy ServicesThe Summit of First Ladies and GentlemenThe UK Soft Power CouncilGovernment Media Office, United Arab EmiratesUruguay XXIXL DisplaysXinhua News Agency London Bureau Bridging the gap betweenMarketing and Finance Our experts crafted standards (ISO 10668and ISO 20671) and our methodology,certified by Austrian Standards, is officiallyapproved by the Marketing AccountabilityStandards Board. Brand Finance was set up in 1996with the aim of 'bridging the gap betweenmarketing and finance'. Since this time,we have helped companies andorganisations of all types to connecttheir brands to the bottom line. We advise governmentson how to boost their nation brands Brand Finance has been conductingan annual Nation Brands study on the world’smost valuable and strongest nation brandsfor 22 years. It has provided key benchmarksfor diplomats, tourism boards, trade agencies,nation brand consultants and managers. Quantifying the financialvalue of brands We put thousands of the world’sbiggest brands to the test every year.Ranking brands across all sectorsand countries, we publish over100 reports annually. The Global Soft Power Index expands on thatmethodology to provide an all-round view ofperceptions of nation brands. Understandingthose perceptions is key for national, regional,city, and corporate brands to achieve successinternationally, allowing to identify strengthsand weaknesses and to improve growthstrategies going forward. Unique combinationof expertise Our teams have experience acrossa wide range of disciplines frommarketing and market research,to brand strategy and visual identity,to tax and accounting. The stronger the nation’s Soft Power,the greater its ability to attract investments,market its products and services, promotetourism, and invite talent. Priding ourselveson technical credibility Ambassador Alexandre Edelmann,Head of Presence SwitzerlandThe Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau,Former Prime Minister of CanadaAmbassador Kumar Iyer,Permanent Representative of the UK to the UN in GenevaMr Marcin Bosacki,Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of PolandMr Muhammad BinGhatti,Chairman, Binghatti HoldingHer Excellency Sarah Al Amiri,Minister of Education, United Arab EmiratesProfessor Tshilid