The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as one of the world’s top 10 soft power superpowers, according to the Global Soft Power Index 2023. It’s for the first time a Middle Eastern country has secured a spot in the top 10 rankings.
The study, conducted by Brand Finance, evaluates results from 100,000 respondents from 100 markets globally and gauges perceptions of 121 nation brands.
Other spots were mainly dominated by the same countries that have been doing so for the past few years. However, UAE managed to climb up from the fifteenth spot to the tenth position in 2023.
The Global Soft Power Index assesses perceptions of nation brands on 35 attributes under 8 Soft Power Pillars, along with the three primary performance indicators of familiarity, reputation, and influence. The Emirates has experienced significant growth in both reputation and influence this year.
Chairman and CEO of Brand Finance, David Haigh, stated that UAE was among the first ones to conduct mass vaccination and lift travel restrictions during a pandemic. This move retained its positive image in the business and trade sector, he added.
Expo 2020, a major event, also provided a remarkable boost to the Emirates in terms of emerging as a global trade center, according to David.
Here is the list of the top 10 soft power superpowers in 2023:
| Country | Previous Rank | Current Rank | Score |
| United States (US) | 1 | 1 | 74.8 |
| United Kingdom (UK) | 2 | 2 | 67.3 |
| Germany | 3 | 3 | 65.8 |
| Japan | 5 | 4 | 65.2 |
| China | 4 | 5 | 65 |
| France | 6 | 6 | 62.4 |
| Canada | 7 | 7 | 60.7 |
| Switzerland | 8 | 8 | 58.5 |
| Italy | 10 | 9 | 56.6 |
| UAE | 15 | 10 | 55.2 |
