In the 2026 edition, the USA maintained its lead despite a sharp drop in its score
The Global Soft Power Index, an annual study published by the consultancy Brand Finance in which classifies the influence capacity of 193 member countries of the United Nations based on global insights into your national brands.
The index measures “soft power” – a term that describes influence through attraction and persuasion – and analyzes how these perceptions affect areas such as investment, trade and diplomacy.
In the 2026 edition, the USA maintained its lead despite a sharp drop in its scorereflecting a general decline in international perceptions due to economic and geopolitical uncertainties.
The index seeks to quantify the impact of nations on the global stage through opinion pollsfocusing on how national brands are seen by the general public. Initially launched in 2020, the study has evolved to include all UN members since 2024, after gradual expansions.
It is based on data collected from more than 150 thousand respondents in more than 100 markets, covering aspects such as familiarity, reputation and perceived influence.
The most recent edition, released in January 2026 during the World Economic Forum in Davos, recorded drops in scores for most nations, with the USA falling 4.6 points to 74.9 out of 100, followed by China in second place with 73.5.
Methodology
Index measurement involves a global survey conducted online in 54 languages, with data collected between September and December of the year prior to publication.
For the 2026 edition, more than 150 thousand respondents from more than 100 markets participated, with quotas for age, gender and geographic region to ensure representation.
Each participant evaluates a random subset of nations, prioritizing the best known. The score calculation, on a scale of 0 to 100, combines three Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which represent 50% of the total:
- Familiarity: Evaluated on a scale from “never heard of it” to “I know it well”, with a weight of 10%;
- Reputation: Measured from 0 to 10, from “extremely negative” to “extremely positive”, with a weight of 10%;
- Influence: Rated from 0 to 5, from “no influence” to “extremely influential”, with a weight of 30%.
The other 50% derives from 35 national brand attributesgrouped into eight pillars of soft power, such as International Relations, Governance, Business and Commerce, People and Values, Sustainable Future, Culture and Heritage, Education and Science, and Arts and Entertainment.
A statistical analysis per respondent determines the attributes that most affect Reputation and Influence, with weights adjusted annually through regression in key global regions.
Global weighting balances sovereign equality (50% “one country, one vote”) with population size (50%), adjusted for familiarity to prioritize markets where the nation is best known.
Additional measures, such as recommendations for investing, working, or visiting (rated from 0 to 5), provide context but do not factor into the final score.
Evolution and Recent Adjustments
Developed with academic input from the University of Oxford and interviews with more than 50 experts, the index underwent adjustments to maintain annual comparability.
Initially, it included opinions from specialist audiences, but since 2022 it has focused on the general public for larger samples.
During the pandemic, it incorporated insights into responses to Covid-19, removed later.
In 2025, Russia was re-included after a break, and attributes related to leadership and innovation were refined.
brandfinance.com
In the context of 2026, the index highlights a widespread decline in perceptions, with Western nations most affected, while countries such as China and Japan show relative resilience.
*This text was produced with the help of artificial intelligence
