Germany’s victory in this year’s World Cup soccer championship has boosted the country’s global brand perception, according to a new study from research firm GfK.
The annual study is based on more than 20,000 interviews conducted across 20 countries. The research measures global perceptions of 50 countries based on 23 attributes related to exports, governance, culture, people, tourism and immigration/investment.
The Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index study found Germany to be the most positively perceived country out of a pool of 50 developed and developing countries, thanks in part to its sports excellence. The country ranked second in last year’s study.
The U.S., which had held the top spot in the study for the past five years, dropped to second place this year, in part because of concerns from respondents in Russia and Egypt about the country’s perceived commitment to global peace and security.
Meanwhile, Russia had the most drastic drop in global perception this year, falling three places to rank 25th in the survey. The country had an especially steep decline in the governance dimension, particularly for its perceived role in international peace and security.
Here are the 10 countries with the top brand rankings this year, according to GFK’s study:
1. Germany
2. United States
3. United Kingdom
4. France
5. Canada
6. Japan
7. Italy
8. Switzerland
9. Australia
10. Sweden