Russia – Country Performance, Brand Strength and Reputation

Russia is without a doubt an important influencer in geopolitics—most recently in the spotlight for its most regrettable war against Ukraine. But how do global rankings and indices evaluate Russia’s competitiveness in terms of doing business, attracting talent, country brand strength, and reputation?

Let’s take a closer look at:

• Russia’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 U.S. News Best Countries 2023 ranking, Russia secures the 37^th position, behind Poland (35^th) and Israel (36^th). Notably, Russia ranks best in the key factor of Power (3^rd), which evaluates military strength, export prowess, and economic influences. However, the country struggles most in the Open for Business (97^th) and Adventure (79^th) factors. Russia’s overall positioning has dropped one position since 2022.

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, Russia secures the 59^th position, showcasing a drop of one position from the 2022 ranking.

According to Brand Finance’s Global Soft Power Index 2023, Russia has lost its place among the top 10 countries, dropping to 13^th place. Russia’s Reputation ranking, one of the main determinants of Soft Power, has fallen from 23^rd to an abysmal 105^th, resulting in an overall Index erosion. It also now ranks 119^th for the People & Values pillar and for the “good relations with other countries” attribute in International Relations.

Furthermore, global sanctions have caused the nation’s perceptions as “easy to do business in and with” to fall by 61 places, and having “future growth potential” by 74 places.

Appeal to Talent, Investors, Trade, and Travel

As per the UNCTAD World Investment Report 2023, Russia’s inflows decreased as many companies divested due to the political climate of the country, from USD 39 billion in 2021 to a negative USD 19 billion in 2022.

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, Russia currently sits in 4^th position, a jump of three positions from the previous ranking. Within Europe, Russia is placed between Germany (3^rd) and the Netherlands (5^th). Globally, Russia secures the 11^th position, an improvement of four positions.

In addition, the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism Edition 2022-2023 places Russia at the 36^th global position. Regionally, Russia now holds the 18^th position, dropping two positions. Within Europe, Russia is placed below Denmark (17^th) and above Finland (19^th).

Russia, classified as an upper-middle-income country within the European regional group, currently holds the 52^nd position in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023. Notably, Russia ranks best in the Grow pillar (31^st), while the Attract pillar presents its biggest challenge, where it ranked 84^th.

Is Russia a “Good” Country?

In the CAF World Giving Index 2023, Russia reached the overall position of 102^nd, showcasing a drastic fall from the previous year where it ranked 30^th. Such a decline can be assumed to be directly related to the political circumstances present in the country.

In the Good Country Index, Russia currently holds the 54^th position overall, with notable subfactors as follows: Science & Technology (24^th) and Health & Well-being (25^th). It’s worth mentioning that in 2022, Russia was ranked 47^th, and in 2021, it held the 41^st position, showcasing a negative trend. However, the country has improved in both the Science and Technology factor as well as the Health and Well-being factor.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2023, Russia ranked in the dark orange zone (2-3 range) with a score of 2.28 out of 10.

The 2022 Corruption Perception Index ranks Russia 137^th with a score of 28/100. It is tied with Mali and Paraguay. Russia’s score has dropped by one position since 2021.

Sustainability

The Sustainable Development Report 2023 ranks Russia 49^th. It highlights that Russia continues to face significant and major challenges in quite a few of the 17 SDGs. However, some factors are on track and have obtained SDG achievement; this includes No Poverty, Gender Equality, and Partnerships for the Goals.

The 2022 edition of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks Russia 112^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. Russia has experienced a change in score of positive 1.6.

Peace and Happiness

The Global Peace Index 2023 ranks Russia 158^th, seeing a drop of three positions compared to last year’s index. Russia falls under the Very Low sector of the ‘State of Peace’ spectrum as defined by the Institute for Economics & Peace. This positioning is mostly due to the political climate currently present in the country.

The Institute for Economics & Peace similarly ranks Russia 35^th in the Global Terrorism Index 2024 report, and its ranking has changed from the 43^rd position in 2023, implying that Russia remains the country most affected by terrorism in the region.

Meanwhile, the World Happiness Report 2023, which displays the Ranking of Happiness based on a three-year average from 2020–2022, ranks Russia 70^th.

Last updated in November 2023. More country profiles here.

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Disclaimer: The information in this article is intended to provide a general overview of Russia’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.