Canada – Country Performance, Brand Strength and Reputation

Canada: How does the country’s political positioning towards the US influence its performance in global rankings that measure talent attraction potential, public diplomacy, soft power strength, environmental sustainability, and economic development? What influence have recent political developments had on the international reputation of Canada?

Let’s take a closer look at:

• Canada’s soft power and brand strength
• Its appeal to skilled labour, investors, and visitors
• The country’s global contribution to peace and well-being
• How well it fares in terms of happiness and sustainability

Soft Power and Country Brand Strength

In the Global Soft Power Index 2023 by Brand Finance, Canada secures the 7^th spot, behind China (5^th) and France (6^th). It maintains the same position as in 2022, although its score increased by 1.2%. The country a ranks 2^nd for its reputation in the world, behind Switzerland and followed by Japan.

Canada holds the top spot in Nation Brand Perceptions, achieving a score of 92.3 and retaining the title as the world’s strongest nation brand for the second consecutive year. The country’s robust economy, culturally diverse population, and top-tier education system contribute to its position, reflecting one of the highest living standards globally.

In the U.S. News Best Countries 2023 ranking, Canada secures the 2^nd position, behind leading Switzerland and above Sweden (3^rd). Notably, Canada excels in three key areas: agility (2^nd), quality of life (3^rd), and social purpose (4^th). Canada jumped one position from 2022, with its lowest scores in movers and heritage.

The Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brand Index (NBI) calculates its ranking based on averaging the scores of six different factors: exports, governance, tourism, culture, people, and immigration. According to the NBI 2023 ranking, Canada secures the 3^rd position, maintaining its position from 2022.

Talent Attractiveness

The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index 2019 edition placed Canada at the 14^th position among 141 countries. However, it’s important to note that an updated version of this report hasn’t been released in the past five years, and rankings may have shifted since then.

Canada, classified as a high-income country within the North American regional group, currently holds the 13^th position in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023. It thrives in the Grow pillar (9^th), and its main challenge is the Retain factor (28^th).

In terms of education excellence, Canada boasts three universities within the top 100 worldwide, according to the World University Rankings 2024. These esteemed institutions are the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, and McGill University.

Appeal to Investors, Trade, and Travel

The Expat Insider 2023 ranks Canada in 27^th position out of 53 countries, below Greece (25^th) and China (26^th). It performs highest in the Work Culture and Satisfaction metric, where it secured the 8^th position. It ranked 9^th in terms of Career Prospects, and in the Environment and Climate metric, it secured the 10^th position.

As per the UNCTAD World Investment Report 2023, Canada ranks 7^th in terms of FDI inflows, a drop of two positions since 2021. This drop is presumed to be due to a 20% decrease in FDI in the past year. In terms of FDI outflows, Canada ranks 8^th, a drop of three positions since 2021.

The Bloom Consulting biannual Country Brand Ranking Trade Edition 2022-2023 assesses investment-related variables, emphasising perceptions of a country’s trade-specific brand and evaluating branding performance. Regionally, Canada placed 3^rd, behind the United States and Brazil. It maintained its positioning from the previous report. However, globally, Canada ranks 10^th, behind Australia (8^th) and Singapore (9^th), a drop of two positions since the previous ranking. This is presumed to be a consequence of a decrease in Net FDI and social media performance.

In addition, the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism Edition 2022-2023 places Canada at the 14^th global position, sitting between Switzerland (13^th) and Portugal (15^th), demonstrating an increase of two positions since the previous ranking. Regionally, it continues to hold the 3^rd position, falling behind the United States and Mexico.

In the IMD 2023 World Competitiveness Ranking, Canada secured the 15^th position, showing a slight shift from its 14^th ranking in 2022 and 2021. Currently, it sits behind Belgium (13^th) and Norway (14^th) while surpassing Iceland (16^th) and Saudi Arabia (17^th).

In terms of specific characteristics, Canada’s economic performance increased by one position to the 9^th spot in 2023. It holds the 16^th position for government efficiency, experiencing a jump of two positions compared to 2022. Lastly, it dropped four positions to the 17^th position for business efficiency, and retained the 11^th spot for infrastructure.

How Peaceful and Happy?

The Global Peace Index 2023 ranks Canada 11^th, jumping two positions. It sits behind Japan (9^th) and Switzerland (10^th). The country falls under the very high sector of the ‘State of Peace’ spectrum as defined by the Institute for Economics & Peace. Canada positioned 1^st in the North American region (which only encompasses Canada and the United States according to this Index).

The Institute for Economics & Peace similarly ranks Canada within the medium impact (light orange) zone in terms of ‘Impact of Terrorism’ in the 2022 Global Terrorism Index. It ranks 54^th, below Central Africa (55^th) and Ethiopia (56^th).

Meanwhile, the World Happiness Report 2023, which displays the Ranking of Happiness based on a three-year average (2020–2022), ranks Canada 13^th.

Environmental Sustainability

The 2022 edition of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks Canada 49^th, tying with Belize and below Portugal (48^th). The EPI analyses the performance of 180 countries, scoring and ranking these countries on their environmental performance using the most recent year of data available as well as providing calculable changes in scores over the previous decade. Canada has experienced a change in score of positive 4.

Canada a “Good Country”?

In the CAF World Giving Index 2023, Canada secured the 8^th position, maintaining its positioning from last year’s index. It performs very well in the Helping a Stranger factor, with 67% of its adult population, and in Donating Money, with 61%.

In the Good Country Index, Canada currently holds the 6^th position overall, with notable subfactors as follows: Science & Technology (29^th), Culture (38^th), International Peace & Security (42^nd), World Order (13^th), Planet & Climate (5^th), Prosperity & Equality (20^th), and Health & Well-being (6^th). It’s worth mentioning that in 2022, Canada was ranked 4^th, and in 2021, it held the 11^th position. While the country has experienced a two-point drop since the 2022 ranking, there has been a significant increase in the Health and Well-being factor as well as the Planet and Climate factor.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2023, Canada ranked in the blue zone (8-9 range) with a score of 8.88 out of 10. This is higher than the United States and the United Kingdom, who scored 7.85 and 8.28, but lower than the Netherlands and Iceland, who scored 9 and 9.5.

The 2022 Corruption Perception Index ranks Canada 14^th with a score of 74/100, tying with Estonia, Iceland, and Uruguay. Canada’s score has remained the same since 2021.

The Sustainable Development Report 2023 ranks Canada in 26^th position. It highlights that the country has achieved SDG status and continues to be on track for the No Poverty goal while reaching the SDG status for the Quality Education goal, which is moderately increasing. However, the country is facing some major challenges, and progress is stagnant for the Zero Hunger, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Life on Land goals.

Last updated in October 2023. More country profiles here.

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Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended to provide a general overview of Canada’s economic and cultural landscape and facilitate comparison over time. While we strive for accuracy and completeness, we are not responsible for any typographical errors or inaccuracies. The data is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. Users should verify any information before relying on it for decision-making purposes.