Israel Country Performance, Economic Competitiveness, Brand Image and Reputation

Israel: how does the country’s political status influence its performance in global rankings that measure talent attraction potential, public diplomacy and soft power strength, environmental sustainability and economic development? What influence have recent political developments had on the international reputation of Israel? Let’s explore how Israel positions itself globally reveals insights derived from data provided by reputable institutions and partners.

Let’s take a closer look at:

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

Disclaimer: the data investigated in the following sections is based on reports which have been published prior to the political turmoil in the region.


Israel’s soft power and brand strength

How does Israel compare in terms of reputation and brand value globally? 

In the Global Soft Power Index 2023 by Brand Finance, Israel secures the 27th spot, sitting behind Austria (25th) and New Zealand (26th). Although Israel’s score has shown growth, rising from 47.6 in 2022 to 48.4 this year, it dropped four positions from last year’s index.

In the U.S. News Best Countries 2023 ranking, Israel secures the 36th position, behind Egypt (34th) and Poland (35th). Notably, Israel excels in two key areas: power (11th) evaluating military strength, export prowess and economic influences, and movers (12th) assessing differentiating factors, distinctiveness, dynamism, and uniqueness. Israel jumped one position from 2022, with lowest scores in adventure and social purpose factors.

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, and tourism. According to the NBI 2023 ranking  Israel secures the 46th position, a drop of two places since 2022.


Appeal to digital nomads, business, trade and travel 

What is the global perception of Israel as a destination for living, conducting business, and tourism?

The Bloom Consulting biannual Country Brand Ranking Trade Edition 2022-2023 assesses investment-related variables, emphasizing perceptions of a country’s trade-specific brand and evaluating branding performance. Regionally, Israel jumped one position and now holds the 9th behind Malaysia (7th) and South Korea (8th). Globally, Israel holds the 29th position. 

In addition, the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism Edition 2022-2023 places Israel at the 47th global position. Regionally, Israel holds the 15th position, a drop of two positions from the previous ranking.

In the IMD 2023 World Competitiveness Ranking, Israel secured the 23rd position, showing a jump of two positions from the 2022 ranking. Currently, it sits just behind China (21st) and Germany (22nd) while surpassing Austria (24th) and Bahrain (25th).

In terms of specific characteristics, Israel’s economic performance jumped five positions to the 31st spot in 2023. It holds the 34th position for government efficiency, experiencing a drop of two positions compared to 2022. Lastly, Israel jumped three positions to the 24th position for business efficiency, and holds the 18th spot for infrastructure, a drop of one position since 2022.


Talent attraction and competitiveness in Israel

What are the conditions for talent attraction and retention in Israel?

The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index 2019 edition placed Israel at the 20th position among 141 countries. However, it’s important to note that an updated version of this report hasn’t been released in the past 5 years, and rankings may have shifted since then.

Israel, classified as a high income country within the Northern Africa and Western Asia regional group, currently holds the 25th position in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023. Notably, Israel performs most remarkably in the VT Skills pillar where it holds the 13th position and its main challenge is the Attract pillar where it ranked 44th.


Israel’s environmental sustainability

How well does Israel look after its natural environment?

The 2022 edition of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks Israel 57th, sitting between Armenia (56th) and Grenada (58th). The EPI analyzes 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. Israel has experienced a change in score of positive 1.9.


Peace and happiness in Israel

Is Israel a happy and safe place to invest time and money in?

The Global Peace Index 2023 ranks Israel 143rd, a drop of eight positions from last years’ index. Israel sits behind Colombia (141st) and Chad (142nd). Israel falls under the low sector of the ‘State of Peace’ spectrum as defined by the Institute for Economics & Peace. Israel positioned 15th regionally amongst its fellow Middle East and North African countries, led by Qatar and Kuwait.

The Institute for Economics & Peace similarly ranks Israel within the high impact (dark orange) zone in terms of ‘Impact of Terrorism’ in the 2022 Global Terrorism Index. Israel ranks 25th, sitting in between Indonesia (24th) and Thailand (26th). 

Meanwhile, the World Happiness Report 2023 which displays the Ranking of Happiness based on a three-year-average 2020–2022 ranks Israel 4th.


How “good” is Israel?

In the Caf World Giving Index 2023, Israel secured the 83rd position, showcasing a drop of five positions from the previous year. Notably, Israel performs most admirably in the subfactor of helping a stranger where 53% of its adult population helped a stranger in the past year.

In the Good Country Index, Israel currently holds the 59th position overall, with notable subfactors as follows: Science & Technology (43rd), Culture (75th), International Peace & Security (134th), World Order (124th), Planet & Climate (40th), Prosperity & Equality (59th), and Health & Wellbeing (35th). It’s worth mentioning that in 2022, Israel was ranked 45th, and in 2021, it held the 53rd position. The factors which have shown the most significant growth are, Planet and Climate and Prosperity and Equality.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2023, Israel ranked in the blue zone (7-8 range) with a 7.93 out of 10. This is the highest score in the Middle Eastern region.

The 2022 Corruption Perception Index, ranks Israel 31st with a score of 63/100, tying with South Korea. Israel’s score has increased by four since 2021.

The Sustainable Development Report 2023 ranks Israel in 48th position, it highlights that the country continues to face significant and major challenges. However, Good Health and Wellbeing has reached SDG status and the Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure goal is on track.


Last updated in November 2023. More country profiles here.


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