In the biggest international analysis of its kind,
the United Kingdom maintained its number one overall ranking as the world’s
favourite nation in the latest quarterly Anholt Nation Brands Index.The index analyses the results of how a 25,000-strong international panel
perceive in detail the value and appeal of 40 developed and developing
world nations. In addition this quarter, a financial valuation of all NBI
nation brands was carried out by Brand Finance, estimating the UK’s brand
worth at US$ 3.5 billion.

Conducted using GMI’s market research software and global respondent
panels, the Anholt Nation Brands Index is the only analytical ranking of
the world’s nation brands. The UK’s number one ranking is based on high
scores for how other nationalities value the UK’s cultural, political,
commercial and human assets, investment potential and tourist appeal.

The Anholt Nation Brands Index confirms and confounds received wisdom about
how the rest of the world sees the UK. For example:

Whilst actual UK mass manufacturing has declined, products with a Made in
Britain stamp are likely to be bought ahead of those made in the USA,
Switzerland and France. Only products with German (1) and Japanese (2)
origins are more highly valued by foreigners.

UK arts and culture are ranked highly. A surprise is that when asked which
countries excel at sports, the UK is ranked fourth (USA is first, Germany
second and Russia third) despite the actual performance of its national
teams and sportsmen. The UK’s great sporting rival Australia is ranked
tenth. However, on contemporary culture, including popular music, the
French (2) overtake the British (3). The USA is number one.

When asked what nationality of friend they would like, Britons ranked third
behind Canadians (1) and Australians (2). But foreigners believe Britons
are less welcoming than other nationalities, with Britons ranking 14th
behind the Swiss (13th) and the Norwegians (12th). The Canadians (1),
Australians (2) and Spanish (3) are perceived as the nationalities most
welcoming to foreigners.

Commenting on the UK ranking, Simon Anholt, the index’s founder and an
adviser to governments on nation branding and public policy, explained:
“The UK keeps its number one spot because it consistently ranks high in all
the areas of the survey. Negative perceptions about UK foreign policy in
Iraq are reflected within these findings, but they do not exert a strong
enough force to bring down the UK’s overall positive score. In fact, the
UK’s overall score improved by over 2 percent quarter on quarter compared
to a 1.2 percent improvement by Germany, its closest rival.”
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