Estonia drops 8 places in Global Soft Power Index

Photo: Konstantin Sednev

Estonia has fallen eight places to 65th in the Global Soft Power Index published in London on Thursday, with the drop attributed to Russia's inclusion in the ranking's panel countries.

Estonia's reputation improved in the area of international relations, where it ranked 45th out of 193 countries analyzed. However, the country continues to face challenges in global recognition, ranking 128th in terms of international awareness. In terms of overall reputation, Estonia placed 63rd, according to the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency.

As in previous years, Estonia's reputation is strongest in the areas of sustainability and education. The country is strongly associated with contributions to addressing the global climate crisis, ranking 28th, and with high-quality education, which secured 29th place. Out of the 35 survey questions, media reliability was Estonia's most significant reputation driver, where it ranked an impressive 22nd globally.

The most significant changes in Estonia's reputation compared to last year were in foreign relations and diplomacy. Estonia saw notable improvements in diplomatic influence and global recognition of its leaders, with its reputation rising by 12 and 16 places in these categories, respectively. Among Europeans, Estonia's standing in governance, including the recognition of its leaders, surged by 35 places.

Konrad Jagodzinski from Brand Finance and leader of the study explained that Russia was reintroduced as a panel country to provide a more comprehensive picture of global perceptions.

«This offers valuable insights into how Russian public opinion on the rest of the world has shifted since the start of the war in Ukraine,» Jagodzinski said. The inclusion of Russian perspectives has influenced rankings, with Belarus climbing eight places to 80th and Armenia rising 13 places to 93rd.

Among Estonia’s Baltic neighbors, Latvia dropped five places to 76th, while Lithuania fell nine places to 70th.

The Global Soft Power Index assesses the reputation of 193 countries based on data collected from over 100 nations. The rankings evaluate national influence and recognition across eight categories -- business, education and research, international relations, sustainability, governance, media, culture, and values.