Canada ranks first as Most Welcoming Country in 2015 Nation Brands Index

TORONTO, Canada – A new study of 50 “nation brands” finds that Canada is seen as the most welcoming country in the world, rating the Great White North number one in the People category.

The just released Anholt-GfK Nation Brands IndexSM (NBISM) also places Canada in the top three in two other areas: Immigration/Investment and Governance. This makes Canada one of the most attractive nations for people to live, work, study, and conduct business in globally.

Overall, Canada ranked fifth among the 50 nations covered, after the United States, Germany, UK, and France. The US has taken back the top spot after falling to second place in 2014. (See table below.)

The annual study measures global perceptions of 50 developed and developing countries – and is unmatched in the level of detail on which the nation ranking is judged. The research asks questions about 23 different national attributes, which are then combined into six overall “dimensions” on which the national image is based. Those dimensions are: Exports, Governance, Culture, People, Tourism, and Immigration/Investment.

Anholt-GfK Nation Brands IndexSM

Overall Brand Ranking 2015 (Top 10 of 50 Nations)

2015 rank 2014 rank
1 United States 2
2 Germany 1
3 United Kingdom 3
4 France 4
5 Canada 5
6 Japan 6
7 Italy 7
8 Switzerland 8
9 Australia 9
10 Sweden 10

Professor Simon Anholt, the independent policy advisor who created the Nation Brands Index in 2005, comments, “This year’s results stand as a reminder that, although the images of countries are incredibly stable, changes can and do take place, particularly when people around the world sense that countries are contributing noticeably more or less to humanity and the planet. It is their perceived impact on the world that affects countries’ reputation far more than their assets or achievements.

“Despite its continued perceived leadership in Europe,” Anholt continued, “Germany has fallen back to second place, largely as a result of losing the gains it made last year. On top of that, Germany also lost ground on ‘governance’ (which incorporates both international and domestic behaviors) following its high-profile stance on European challenges such as immigration and struggling Eurozone economies. In particular, Russia’s perceptions of Germany’s governance dropped significantly, following Germany’s support of anti-Russian sanctions.”

Greece, a nation facing chronic economic issues, is struggling to maintain its image, with notable falls across all indices. In the overall ranking, it has slipped one place, to 21st position, while Brazil moves up to 20th.

Vadim Volos, Senior Vice President and Director of NBISM at GfK, comments, “A country’s global reputation can make a critical difference to the success of its business, trade and tourism efforts, as well as its diplomatic and cultural relations with other nations. Our clients depend on the NBISM study because it is unbeaten in the depth of information that is included in forming the ranking – making it the most thorough and robust monitor of national reputation available.”