Saudi Arabia – Country Performance, Brand Strength and Reputation

Saudi Arabia, with its booming economy, offers enticing opportunities for investors and tourists alike. Recent social and economic reforms, including advancements in women’s rights, reflect the country’s commitment to modernisation. Under the Vision 2030 agenda, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a hub for international business headquarters. As the Middle East’s largest country, the Kingdom has opened its borders to attract millions of visitors with e-visas, helping to create jobs and drive local economic growth.

But what do leading rankings and indices have to say about Saudi Arabia, its economic competitiveness, soft power, country brand strength, and reputation?

Let’s take a closer look at:

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

Saudi Arabia’s Soft Power and Brand Strength

In the Global Soft Power Index 2024 by Brand Finance, Saudi Arabia ranks 18^th, just behind Norway (17^th) and Russia (16^th). It has climbed by one position since last year, and the score has risen from 51.3 in 2023 to 56.0 in 2024.

According to the U.S. News Best Countries 2023 ranking, Saudi Arabia secures the 31^st position, behind India (30^th) and Thailand (29^th). It especially excels in two key areas: movers (4^th), assessing a country’s future growth; and power (9^th), analysing the attributes of a country shaping global economic patterns. Saudi Arabia’s ranking improved by three positions after securing the 34^th position in the overall ranking in 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, Saudi Arabia came in the 54^th position, improving from the 57^th position in 2022.

The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index 2019 edition placed Saudi Arabia at 36^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.

Talent Attraction and Competitiveness

In the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023 ranking, Saudi Arabia holds the 48^th position, just behind Costa Rica (47^th). In this report, Saudi Arabia is classified as a high-income country within Northern Africa and Western Asia and is ranked 7^th on a regional level. The country ranks best in the Attract pillar (39^th), while the Retain pillar ranked 80^th, which presents a challenge for Saudi Arabia.

Regarding education excellence, according to the World University Rankings 2024, Saudi Arabia has no university within the top 100 overall scores. However, Alfaisal University (ranked 51^st) has made it to the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2023, a list of the world’s best universities that are 50 years old or younger.

Saudi Arabia: A “Good Country”?

In the CAF World Giving Index 2023, Saudi Arabia ranked in the 69^th position, behind Costa Rica (70^th) and Venezuela (71^st). It improved from the 85^th position in 2022. The country is fairly good at helping a stranger (67% of adults participate). However, only 16% of adults in the country volunteered.

In the Good Country Index, Saudi Arabia currently secured the 114^th position overall. The country excels in the Health and Wellbeing factor (11^th). Previously, it ranked 121^st in 2022 and 94^th in 2021.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2023, Saudi Arabia is ranked in the orange zone (2-3 range) with a score of 2.08 out of 10. This is lower than neighbouring Iraq (3.13) but higher than nearby Syria (1.43).

In the 2022 Corruption Perception Index, Saudi Arabia came 54^th, tied with Malta and Rwanda. Its score has dropped by two points since 2021.

Appeal to Talent, Investors, Trade, and Travel

According to Expat Insider 2023, Saudi Arabia ranks 28^th, right behind Canada (27^th) and China (26^th). It performs quite well in Healthcare (12^th), Salary and Job Security (7^th), and Career Prospects (4^th); however, the country ranks comparatively low in the ‘ease of settling in’ factors such as Culture and Welcome (36^th) and Finding Friends (34^th).

As per the UNCTAD World Investment Report 2023, Saudi Arabia secured the 17^th position for FDI outflows in 2022, trailing behind Belgium (16^th) and the United Arab Emirates (15^th). It climbed by one position from the 2021 ranking.

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. In Asia, Saudi Arabia ranks 12^th, climbing one position higher than in the previous report. It stands behind Vietnam (11^th) and Thailand (10^th). Worldwide, Saudi Arabia ranks 35^th.

In addition, in the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism Edition 2022-2023 ranking, Saudi Arabia remains at the 17^th position in Asia, behind Sri Lanka (16^th) and Israel (15^th). Its appeal lies in its rich history and culture, drawing interest globally.

In the IMD 2023 World Competitiveness Ranking, Saudi Arabia came in 17^th position, improving from its 24^th position in 2022 and 32^nd position in 2021. Currently, it stands right behind Iceland (16^th) and Canada (15^th), surpassing the Czech Republic (18^th) and Australia (19^th).

Regarding specific characteristics, Saudi Arabia significantly improved its Economic Performance factor, climbing from 48^th place in 2021 to 6^th position in 2023. Infrastructure is ranked 34^th, Government Efficiency has slightly improved from 19^th in 2022 to 11^th in 2023, and Business Efficiency climbed by three positions from 16^th in 2022 to 13^th in 2023.

Peace and Happiness

The Global Peace Index 2023 ranks Saudi Arabia 119^th, climbing by five positions since last year’s index. All of these fall under the “medium” sector of the ‘State of Peace’ spectrum as defined by the Institute for Economics & Peace. Within the region, Saudi Arabia ranks 10^th, behind Bahrain (9^th) and ahead of Egypt (11^th).

The Institute for Economics & Peace similarly ranks Saudi Arabia within the ‘very low impact’ zone in terms of the ‘Impact of Terrorism’ in the 2024 Global Terrorism Index. Saudi Arabia ranks 60^th, ahead of Argentina (61^st) and behind the Central African Republic (59^th).

Meanwhile, the World Happiness Report 2023, which displays the Ranking of Happiness based on a three-year average (2020–2022), ranks Saudi Arabia 30^th, dropping from 25^th position in the 2022 report. The country is behind Slovakia (29^th) and ahead of Estonia (31^st).

Sustainability Performance

The 2022 edition of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks Saudi Arabia 109^th. Using the most recent data available, the EPI scores 180 countries on their environmental performance and provides calculable changes in scores over the past decade. Saudi Arabia has experienced a slight improvement of 9.50 points over the last ten years.

The Sustainable Development Report 2023 ranks Saudi Arabia 94^th, with a score of 67.7. The report highlights that it faces major challenges in many of the 17 SDGs. However, the country is experiencing increasing positive changes in SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), although SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) are experiencing a downward trend.

Last updated in March 2024. More country profiles here.

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