Why Switzerland Rises, America Falls In The New Global Reputation Race
Every year, a little-known survey quietly sorts the world into winners and losers of reputation.
In the 2025 edition, Switzerland and Canada share the top spot. The United States has crashed 18 places to 48th. That alone tells you something about how the West now sees itself.
The ranking, called RepCore Nations, asks tens of thousands of people in rich countries to rate 60 major economies on trust, stability, quality of life, government, business climate and culture.
It doesn’t measure GDP or military power. It measures how a country feels from the outside. Switzerland, once again number one, is the purest example of what the survey rewards: stability, order, competent institutions and a foreign policy that avoids noisy moral crusades.
Canada, and then the Nordic group – Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark – score well for similar reasons. To many respondents, these places look calm, predictable and relatively serious about basic things like security, infrastructure and public administration.
The American story is the opposite. The U.S. has slipped from the “strong” reputation category into “weak.” Respondents point to tariff threats, aggressive posturing in alliances and a political climate that often looks like permanent culture war.
For a country that built its brand on confidence and leadership, that reputational slide is not just symbolic. Latin America sits in the middle of this reshuffled map.
Reputation Drives Investment and Tourism in Latin America
Peru now leads the region in 27th place, up four slots in a year, followed closely by Brazil at 28th and Chile at 35th. These are seen as imperfect but broadly pragmatic economies trying to keep inflation in check and stay open to trade.
Colombia, at 50th and declining, illustrates the cost of insecurity and weak rule of law: it hosted a major UN biodiversity summit, yet a separate justice index still pushed it down to 95th place worldwide.
Behind all this lies money. The study estimates that a one-point gain in reputation can mean roughly 7.2% more tourism revenue and about 1% more foreign investment.
For expats and investors, the message is clear: countries that look disciplined and predictable quietly attract capital, talent and visitors. Those that look loud, unstable or obsessed with grand ideological battles slowly pay for it.
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