Uruguay Country Performance, Brand Stength and Reputation

Uruguay: what do international rankings and reports say about Uruguay’s economic performance, its attractiveness for investors, visitors, or people looking for a new home? How strong is its country brand and reputation as democratic nation? Let’s explore how Uruguay shapes its distinctive narrative in the international arena, drawing insights from data provided by TPBO partners and other reputable institutions.

This article will cover: 

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

Uruguay’s soft power and brand strength

How does Uruguay compare in terms of reputation and brand value globally? 

In the Global Soft Power Index 2023 by Brand Finance, Uruguay secures the 63rd spot, slightly trailing The Philippines (61st) and Slovakia (62nd). Uruguay experienced a jump of three positions from 2022, and its score increased by 6.1%.

In the U.S. News Best Countries 2023 ranking, Uruguay secured the 57th  position, behind Romania (55th) and Estonia (56th). Notably, Uruguay does best in the  open for business factor (32nd). Uruguay jumped eight positions from 2022, with lowest scores in the factors of entrepreneurship and movers.


Talent in Uruguay

What are the conditions for talent attraction and retention in Uruguay?

The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index 2019 edition placed Uruguay at the 54th position among 141 countries. However, it’s important to note that an updated version of this report hasn’t been released in the past 5 years, and rankings may have shifted since then.

Uruguay, classified as a high income country within the Latin American and Caribbean regional group, currently holds the 43rd position in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2023. The country ranks highest in the Enable and Grow pillars (34th) and struggles most with the GK Skills pillar (76th).


Uruguay’s appeal to digital nomads, business, trade and travel 

What is the global perception of Uruguay as a destination for living, conducting business, and tourism?

The Bloom Consulting biannual Country Brand Ranking Trade Edition 2022-2023 assesses investment-related variables, emphasizing perceptions of a country’s trade-specific brand and evaluating branding performance. Regionally, Uruguay placed 11th, a jump of two positions from the previous ranking thanks to improvements in average Net FDI and digital performance. Globally Uruguay secured the 66th position. 

In addition, the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism Edition 2022-2023 places Uruguay at the 79th global position. Regionally, Uruguay now holds the 19th position, experiencing a drop of two positions, falling behind Ecuador (17th) and Cuba (18th).


How “good” is Uruguay?

In the Caf World Giving Index 2023, Uruguay secured the 60th position, a drop of 1 position from last year’s ranking. Uruguay performs best in the subfactor of helping a stranger, where 70% of its adult population helped a stranger this past year.

In the Good Country Index, Uruguay currently holds the 45th position overall, with notable subfactors as follows: Science & Technology (131st), Culture (66th), International Peace & Security (9th), World Order (26th), Planet & Climate (25th), Prosperity & Equality (54th), and Health & Wellbeing (85th). It’s worth mentioning that in 2022, Uruguay was ranked 25th, and in 2021 49th, despite this drastic drop from last year’s ranking, the Culture factor has experienced a relatively high increase.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index 2023, Uruguay ranked in the blue zone (8-9 range) with a 8.91 out of 10. This is higher than Chile and the US who scored 8.22 and 7.85.

The 2022 Corruption Perception Index, ranks Uruguay 14th with a score of 74/100, tying with Canada, Estonia and Iceland. Uruguay’s score has increased by one since 2021.

The Sustainable Development Report 2023 ranks Uruguay in 32nd position, it highlights that Uruguay experiences some significant and major challenges that are still to be overcome. However, theNo Poverty goal has reached SDG achievement and continues to be on track. While the Affordable and Clean Energy goal has reached SDG status and is experiencing moderate increase. Meanwhile, the Clean Water and Sanitation, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Partnerships for the Goals factors are all on track.


Peace and happiness 

Is Uruguay a happy and safe place to invest time and money in?

The Global Peace Index 2023 ranks Uruguay 50th, dropping five positions from last year’s index. Uruguay sits below Oman (48th), and Timor Leste (49th). Uruguay falls under the high sector of the ‘State of Peace’ spectrum as defined by the Institute for Economics & Peace. Uruguay is the regional leader placing 1st out of 11 amongst the fellow South American countries.

The Institute for Economics & Peace similarly ranks Uruguay within the low impact (yellow) zone in terms of ‘Impact of Terrorism’ in the 2022 Global Terrorism Index. Uruguay ranks 79th, sitting above Rwanda (78th) and tying with Bahrain and South Africa.

Meanwhile, the World Happiness Report 2023 which displays the Ranking of Happiness based on a three-year-average 2020–2022 ranks Uruguay 28th.


Uruguay’s environmental performance

How well does Uruguay perform in terms of environmentally sustainable action-taking?

The 2022 edition of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks Uruguay 113th, tying with the Maldives and Micronesia. The EPI analyzes 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. Uruguay has experienced a change in score of positive 3.30.


Last updated in November 2023. More country profiles here.


Want to know more about Uruguay and what it does to attract investors, talent, visitors? Find in-depth interviews with some of the country’s leading film makers, investors and entrepreneurs in our Uruguay Country Report.


You might also be interested in:


Enjoyed our summary of global rankings and indices on Uruguay’s economic performance, its sustainability, attractiveness for digital nomads, brand strength and reputation? Thanks for sharing!

TPBO
TPBOhttps://placebrandobserver.com

Join us at the intersection of research and practice in place branding. TPBO spotlights impactful place brand stories, from showcases to our flagship yearbook. Learn from leaders in our Who is Who World Map. Connect with us on LinkedIn for insights and join our mailing list for the latest place brand impact stories and strategies.

- Introducing: World's Best in Place Branding -spot_img

Latest articles