Mexico: Boasting a culturally rich spread of cities, sites, traditions, and historical legacy, the country performs well in terms of trade and tourism while the Mexican lifestyle shines through, outranking contenders according to indicators of livability. But what do international rankings and indices have to say about its country brand strength and soft power, its reputation, sustainability, and appeal to investors, visitors, and talent?
Let’s take a closer look at:
- Mexico’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
Mexico’s Soft Power and Brand Strength
In the Global Soft Power Index 2023 by Brand Finance, Mexico secures the 44th spot, slightly trailing Argentina (42nd) and the Czech Republic (43rd). It experienced a drop of two positions from 2022, although its score increased by 3.5%.
In the U.S. News Best Countries 2023 ranking, Mexico secures the 33rd position, the same as the previous ranking. It sits behind Saudi Arabia (31st) and Türkiye (32nd). Notably, Mexico excels in two key areas: heritage (5th), which assesses the level of cultural accessibility, rich history, great food, cultural and geographic attractions; and adventure (9th), which analyses the level of friendliness, tourism appeal, scenic beauty, pleasant climate, and overall sexiness. However, Mexico scored lowest in the open for business 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. According to the NBI 2023 ranking, Mexico secures the 34th position, a drop of three positions from 2022.
The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index 2019 edition placed Mexico at the 48th 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.
Appeal to Talent, Business, Trade, and Travel
The Expat Insider 2023 continues to rank Mexico in 1st position out of 53 countries. The country has ranked in the top 5 since 2014. It is also the leader in the following factors: Ease of Settling In, Culture and Welcome, and Local Friendliness.
As per the UNCTAD World Investment Report 2023, Mexico secures the 11th position for FDI inflows in 2022, trailing behind Sweden (9th) and France (10th), scoring the same as in 2021. This maintained success can be attributed to flows rising by an increase of 12 per cent to $35 billion, with a rise in new equity investment and reinvested earnings. In terms of FDI outflows, the country turned positive to $13 billion from -$2 billion in 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, Mexico maintained the 4th position, behind Brazil (2nd) and Canada (3rd). Globally, it secured the 18th position, a drop of two positions since the previous year.
In addition, the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism Edition 2022-2023 places Mexico at the 12th global position, a drop of one position from the previous ranking. Regionally, it continues to hold the 2nd position, behind the U.S.
In the IMD 2023 World Competitiveness Ranking, Mexico secured the 56th position, showing a slight shift from its 55th ranking in 2021. Currently, it sits just behind Jordan (54th) and Peru (55th) while surpassing Bulgaria (57th) and Colombia (58th).
In terms of specific characteristics, Mexico’s economic performance decreased by three positions to the 30th spot in 2023. It holds the 60th position for government efficiency, maintaining its position from 2022. Lastly, it drops four positions to the 51st position for business efficiency and holds the 59th spot for infrastructure, a decrease of one position from 2022.
Mexico, classified as an upper-middle-income country within the Latin American and Caribbean regional group, currently holds the 74th position in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023. The country ranks highest in the Grow pillar (41st) and struggles most with the Attract pillar (98th).
How “Good” is Mexico?
In the CAF World Giving Index 2023, Mexico secured the 99th position, a drastic drop of 61 positions compared to last year’s ranking. It performs best in the subfactor of helping a stranger, where 62% of its adult population helped a stranger this past year.
In the Good Country Index, Mexico currently holds the 67th position overall, with notable subfactors as follows: Science & Technology (114th), Culture (91st), International Peace & Security (128th), World Order (76th), Planet & Climate (27th), Prosperity & Equality (56th), and Health & Well-being (63rd). It’s worth mentioning that in 2022, Mexico was ranked 75th, and in 2021, it held the 74th position, showcasing an upward trend for the country, especially notable in the Planet and Climate subfactors.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2023, Mexico ranked in the yellow zone (5-6 range) with a 5.25 out of 10.
The 2022 Corruption Perception Index ranks Mexico 126th with a score of 31/100, tying with Bolivia, Laos, and Uzbekistan. Its score has not changed since 2020.
Peace and Happiness
The Global Peace Index 2023 ranks Mexico 136th, jumping three positions from the previous ranking. Mexico sits behind Palestine (134th) and Lebanon (135th). Mexico falls under the low sector of the ‘State of Peace’ spectrum as defined by the Institute for Economics & Peace. It positioned last regionally amongst the fellow Central American and Caribbean countries, led by Costa Rica and Panama.
The Institute for Economics & Peace similarly ranks Mexico within the low impact (yellow) zone in terms of ‘Impact of Terrorism’ in the 2022 Global Terrorism Index. It ranks 72nd, sitting between Paraguay (71st) and Ukraine (73rd).
Meanwhile, the World Happiness Report 2023, which displays the Ranking of Happiness based on a three-year average 2020–2022, ranks Mexico 36th.
Environmental Performance
The 2022 edition of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks Mexico 73rd, sitting between Jamaica (72nd) and Taiwan (74th). 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. Mexico has experienced a change in score of positive 12.40.
The Sustainable Development Report 2023 ranks Mexico in the 80th position, highlighting that it experiences some significant and major challenges that are still to be overcome.
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 Mexico’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.
