New Zealand has taken a significant plunge in the latest soft power rankings, down five spots and out of the top 25.
International consultancy firm Brand Finance annually analyses the responses of more than 100,000 people across the globe about countries’ brands, considering their familiarity, influence, reputation, and performance in different areas.
New Zealand is now ranked 26th in the world, down from 21st in 2022 and 16th in 2021. That’s the biggest fall of any country in the top 35 nations.
Despite falling in rankings, the report showed New Zealand’s soft power score actually improved over the past year, up 1.4 points on the index.
Russia was the only country to see its soft power score drop, due to the Ukraine invasion. Ukraine jumped 14 spots to 37th.
In terms of familiarity, New Zealand’s ranking fell from 28th to 30th. And with influence, it dropped from 33rd to 36th. In that context, overperformers are Switzerland and Israel.
