Sweden has one of the strongest and most values-driven country brands in the world. It is associated with openness, sustainability, equality and innovation, and it ranks at or near the top of most indices that measure what a country contributes beyond its borders.
This profile looks at how Sweden is positioned, how it is read from outside, and where the two pull apart, drawing on the major rankings alongside our own coverage of the country since 2015.
Country Brand Strength
Sweden has ranked first in the Good Country Index, in the top three of U.S. News’ Best Countries and around the top ten of both the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index and Brand Finance‘s Global Soft Power Index, where it has been the highest-ranked Nordic country.
Annika Rembe of the Swedish Institute explained to us how Sweden promotes itself abroad and the challenges its country brand faces. Michael Persson Gripkow, then at Visit Sweden, described how destination marketing shapes the wider country brand in a digital era.
Economic Position
Sweden ranks in the top ten of IMD’s World Competitiveness Ranking, with strong business efficiency and infrastructure, and is among the innovation leaders of the European Innovation Scoreboard.
Much of the positioning work happens below the national level. Helena Renström told us how Skellefteå used place branding to attract the country’s largest battery plant, and why branding has to be tied to how a place actually develops. Stockholm has built a reputation for start-ups, and Gothenburg one for sustainable destination management.
Appeal to Talent
Sweden sits in the top ten of INSEAD’s Global Talent Competitiveness Index and scores among the best for work-life balance and work culture in expat surveys, though it ranks only mid-table overall.
Local initiatives carry much of the work. Lisa Andersson described the International Citizen Hub in Lund, and Eva Jilkén how the High Coast attracts entrepreneurs to the countryside through the idea of Landsbyggare.
Sustainability and Quality of Life
Sweden ranks second in the Sustainable Development Report and in the top five of the Environmental Performance Index. Its performance in the Global Peace Index is lower than that of its Nordic neighbours.
Sustainability is again often most visible at local and regional level, from the Royal Djurgården Society in Stockholm to Destination West Sweden. Swedish researchers, many of them at Lund University, have contributed much of what we have published on place branding and strategic communication.
What Stands Out
Sweden’s national image is strong, values-based and well supported by the rankings. What makes it interesting in our record is how much of the actual positioning happens in its cities and regions, each with its own story.
In TPBO’s reading, Sweden is a country whose brand is carried by its values, while its places compete on specifics: start-ups in Stockholm, sustainability in Gothenburg, batteries in Skellefteå, lifestyle on the High Coast. The national story frames them, but rarely tells them.
What Sweden stands for, openness, sustainability and equality, is largely what people already associate with it.
The national values are shared with its Nordic neighbours. The specific stories of its cities and regions are more distinctive.
Sustainability, good-country and innovation rankings support the brand. Peace and safety scores are weaker than its Nordic peers’.
Positions are relative to the places in TPBO’s editorial record and based on public material only.
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From Our Archive
- 2025West Sweden showcase
- 2025Camilla Zedendahl on Royal Djurgården’s sustainable place branding
- 2023Olga Rauhut Kompaniets on place branding and sustainability in the Nordics
- 2021Per Ekman on the future of place brand and identity management
- 2020Eva Jilkén on attracting talent to the countryside: Landsbyggare
- 2019How the International Citizen Hub Lund attracts talent to southern Sweden
- 2019Helena Renström on how Skellefteå used city branding for investment attraction
- 2017Michael Persson Gripkow of Visit Sweden on country brands and destination marketing
- 2016Annika Rembe on Sweden, country reputation and public diplomacy
- 2016James Pamment on strategic communication and public diplomacy
About this profile. We combine the main international rankings, including Brand Finance‘s Global Soft Power Index, with our own interviews and reporting. Rankings change every year, so positions are described in broad terms. See the rankings and indices we follow, or explore our other country profiles.