Nigeria Country Performance, Nation Brand Value and Reputation

Nigeria: How does Africa’s second largest economy perform in global rankings that study public diplomacy and soft power strength, environmental sustainability and economic development?

How does Nigeria’s booming economy influence its international reputation? Answers in this summary of global reports, studies and rankings on country competitiveness, nation brand value and reputation.

Let’s take a closer look at:

• Ease of doing business in Nigeria;
• Nigeria as a Good Country, its public diplomacy strength and soft power;
• The value of Nigeria as nation brand;
• How Nigeria performs in terms of social and environmental sustainability.

With thanks to our friends and knowledge partners Bloom Consulting and Brand Finance for supporting our country profiles by contributing latest research insights and benchmarking data.

Doing business in Nigeria

What are the pros and cons of doing business in Nigeria?

Nigeria’s performance in the 2018 Ease of Doing Business index is rather poor, positioning the country 145^th among the 190 participant countries. Nigeria does stand out for ease of getting credit (6^th) and positions fairly high in the pillar of protecting minority investors (33^rd). All other pillars leave Nigeria in the second half of the ranking. Trading across borders ranks especially low (183^rd), as well as registering property (179^th) and getting electricity (172^nd), making entrepreneurship fairly difficult in this country with a population of 185 million.

Nigeria’s descent in this ranking has been continuous for the past ten years. In 2008 it was positioned 108^th, down in 2013 to 131^st.

Nigeria’s ranking in the 2018 Global Competitiveness Index is somewhat better –125^th. Its strongest pillars are market size (26^th) and labour market efficiency (32^nd), with all other dimensions in the second half of the ranking. Nigeria’s performance is poorest in health and primary education, where it occupies the last position (136^th) of the study. The country’s infrastructure also ranks remarkably low (132^nd).

Nigeria’s performance in this ranking was also much better a decade ago, when it ranked 94^th.

Nigeria’s digital demand

How popular is Nigeria in terms of online search volume?

Nigeria’s performance in the Digital Country Index 2017 is relatively good, compared to the studies mentioend above. Its overall ranking is 58^th, which is a surprising 49 positions up from its 2015 results. Nigeria’s strongest pillar is investment (24^th); prominence (44^th) and exports (50^th) also score comparatively well. Talent ranks somewhat lower (74^th), but not as low as tourism (122^nd), where there is room for improvement, judging by this index.

Nigeria’s performance in indices of sustainability

What is Nigeria’s contribution to environmental sustainability?

Nigeria ranked 100^th in the 2018 Environmental Performance Index. This is 33 positions higher than in the 2016 study, showing an important improvement over two years.

The country’s ranking is similar (96^th) in WEF’s 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report’s section on environmental sustainability. Its best-performing pillars were baseline water stress (31^st), percentage of threatened species (54^th) and percentage of forest cover change (55^th). The sustainability of its tourism infrastructures (134^th) and overall enforcement of environmental regulations (131^st) scored much lower.

In 2013, Nigeria’s environmental ranking in the same report was significantly higher –68^th.

Nigeria a happy country?

How does Nigeria position in reports that measure happiness?

Nigeria ranks 91^st in the 2015-2017 Happiness Report, which focuses on migration and how it affects the levels of happiness of both migrants and original residents of the host country. Interestingly, the country ranks higher in the section that studies the level of happiness of foreign-born residents (70^th).

In terms of improvement, Nigeria ranks 44^th for the positive change that has taken place in people’s perception of happiness between 2008 and 2017.

Nigeria’s ranking in the Happy Planet Index is similar to its performance in the Happiness Report. In 2018 it receives a Happy Planet Index score of 22.2 and ranks 95^th  among the 140 countries analyzed. It ranks in the bottom end of the index for life expectancy (135^th), with an average of 52.1 years, and inequality (133^rd).

Well-being ranks significantly higher (66^th), while the country’s strongest pillar is its small ecological footprint (18^th), measured by how many global hectares are consumed per person.

Nigeria a “Good Country”?

What is Nigeria’s contribution to global well-being?

The Good Country Index ranks Nigeria 126^th in its most recent study. The country’s contribution is very highly valued in the dimension of international peace and security (5^th). It ranks average in planet and climate (61^st) and is left out of the top-100 in science and technology (142^nd), culture (146^th), world order (137^th), prosperity and equality (122^nd) and health and well-being (150^th).

Nigeria’s performance in the Global Peace Index is not too impressive –it ranks 149^th globally and 40^th in the Sub-Saharan region.

One of the reasons for its poor ranking is the impact of terrorism in the country, which is showing higher levels than ever. The report brings out that this is a global problem: the impact of terrorism has increased dramatically over the last decade, with 60 percent of countries’ scores deteriorating.

Nigeria’s nation brand

How reputable is Nigeria, how valuable its nation brand? 

In 2017, Nigeria ranked as the 47^th most valuable nation brand, with a financial worth of $191 USDbn. Despite having increased its value by 7% in one year, the country’s ranking dropped by three positions compared to the 2016 Nation Brands Index.

Nigeria’s ranking in the 2017 Country RepTrak study is 52^nd. It showed a 5.4% negative change in its reputation in the last year, very likely because of the impact of terrorism on people’s perceptions of the country.

The 2020 edition of the Global Soft Power Index by Brand Finance ranks Nigeria 56^th behind Algeria and Venezuela respectively. South Africa is the only other Sub-Saharan nation ranked, and beats out Nigeria on all metrics.

Analysis by Maria Lindmäe. Last updated May 2018.

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