UAE, Dubai climb up rankings on global brand index

The UAE has entered the top 10 country brands for the first time, jumping 10 places since 2014 this year. This reflects growing global business confidence in the Middle East.

This was revealed by FutureBrand, a global brand transformation company that launched its 2020 Country Index today, providing in-depth and nuanced rankings of global country brands.

Conducted six months into the coronavirus pandemic, the Country Index (CI) reveals unexpected resilience during a year of crises. The ranking is based on a survey of 2,500 influential individuals.

#UAE and #Dubai ranked among the top 10 most influential countries and cities in the world, according to @FutureBrand’s Country Index for 2020. pic.twitter.com/Zqm0cxZgae

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) November 12, 2020

Japan retained its No. 1 spot in the rankings, a position it has held since the inaugural index was launched in 2014. It was joined in the top five by Switzerland, Germany and Canada, with the UAE and New Zealand entering the top 10 for the first time in 9th and 10th place respectively.

The index also revealed growing global confidence in both the Middle East and Africa. In addition to the UAE entering the top 10 brands list for the first time – climbing 10 places since 2014 - Oman also increased its rankings to 25th place.

In Africa, each country in the region increased its ranking, with Angola, Kenya and Algeria emerging as three of the top five risers globally. For both regions, Heritage and Culture were one of the strongest metrics measured.

The FutureBrand Country Index 2020 is the most comprehensive and only one of its kind, conducted six months into the global coronavirus pandemic.

Access the FBCi 2020 on November 12th via https://t.co/KAYOOUg8Bb pic.twitter.com/qeOrh9BEYf

— FutureBrand (@FutureBrand) November 10, 2020

New to the CI for 2020 is a swathe of questions relating to coronavirus, including a ranking of the best handlers of the coronavirus pandemic. New Zealand secured the top spot in the list, followed by China in 2nd and Germany in 3rd place. Interestingly, “don’t know” took 4th place, with qualitative data from respondents indicating more time was needed to properly assess the success of different governmental strategies. South Korea rounded out the top five.

.@FutureBrand: The #UAE is one of the Mideast’s most important economic centres & is a regional powerhouse. This small but ambitious nation is definitely one to watch. The tourist-attractive country is progressing forward very fast in technology, transportation, business, etc. pic.twitter.com/DoyQ2eYS6q

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) November 12, 2020

New to the index for 2020 is data on domestic perceptions of the handling of coronavirus. In the UAE, 71 per cent of respondents were positive about the country’s handling of the pandemic, with clear government communication cited as a key factor. 55% of respondents would like to visit the UAE in the next 5 years. Dubai was also placed 9th in the ranking of most influential cities globally.

The data is drawn from FutureBrand’s latest Country Index - an in-depth ranking of how people perceive countries around the world, based on qualitative and quantitative data gathered between September 2 - 11.

“This year’s index once again goes beyond GDP to take into account broader metrics such as perceived Quality of Life, Value System and Heritage and Culture to inform up-to-date country brand rankings. This more nuanced index of global country brands offers fresh insight into challenger countries, which may yet be unclear from their economic standing,” said Jon Tipple, Global Chief Strategy Officer, FutureBrand.

“Ultimately, it's clear that countries which consistently invest in their global brand holistically are better placed to withstand the shocks of economic uncertainty, polemic news headlines, populist politics and even pandemics,” he added.