List of countries with the maximum Soft Power in the World- Global Soft Power Index 2021

What is Soft Power?

The term soft power was introduced by Joseph S Nye Jr. in the 1980s. Since then various countries have embraced and implemented this idea which helps them boost their presence on the world map. The term was more popularised in 1990 when the book 'Bound to Lead: The changing nature of American Power came into light.

Soft power is defined as the ability to attract and co-opt, instead of coercing, shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. 

Soft Power Index 2021: Rankings

Listed below are the countries with the maximum soft power in the Soft Power Index 2021 provided by Brand Finance. The most powerful country in terms of Soft power is Germany as ranked in this index.  Take a look below. 

Countries with maximum soft power: Key Findings

1. Germany has claimed the top spot in Brand Finance’s Global Soft Power Index 2021, while US has been placed as the fastest-falling nation in ranking, down to 6th place
2. India has been ranked 36th and was ranked 27th last year. The major reason for this is suggested to be the ongoing protests for the year. 
3. New Zealand has been the fastest-improving in ranking, climbing up to 16th spot this year. It has been hailed as global success story in response to COVID-19.
4. Japan has been ranked as the top-performing Asian nation and is the second overall in the list. 
5. Global Soft Power Index has expanded to 100 nations with Iceland as the 30th and Luxembourg as the 32nd highest ranked new entrants. 

6. Fifteen nations from the Middle East and North Africa region have featured in the Global Soft Power Index 2021

7. As per the index, “ the MENA’s nations that featured in the Index last year have all seen their scores improve: the UAE (up 2.4 points); Saudi Arabia (up 2.3 points); Israel (up 1.1 points); Qatar (up 3.8 points); Egypt (up 3.5 points); Iran (up 0.4 points); Algeria (up 1.3 points) and Iraq (up 2.5 points).”

Countries with a high overall Index score, such as Canada and Switzerland, also scored within the top five nations in three key metrics: Reputation, Governance, and their COVID-19 response. This suggested a correlation between perceptions of how well-governed a country is and assessments of its handling of the pandemic.

India's situation:

India has fallen down 9 places this time and the key reason for this is the ongoing atmosphere of protests and civil unrest in the country. India is perceived as a country tackling the health repercusions along with economic damage done by pandemic. This has overpowered the soft power growth it had due to Yoga and its acceptance across the world. 

"India’s perceived difficulties in tackling the health repercussions and economic impact of the virus outweighed their moderately positive perceptions in the Culture & Heritage pillar," mentioned the report by brand Finance.

Also Read| What is the difference between Hard power and Soft power?