Mexico, Brazil and Argentina are the most influential Latin American countries, according to the latest report “Global Soft Power Index 2021” by consulting firm Brand Finance, in which Germany ranked first in the United States, which falls to sixth place and it has become the most influential nation in the world.
This year, the ranking incorporates 12 new Latin American countries, representing a total of 19 nations in the region in the report.
The new additions are Uruguay (56), Cuba (58), Panama (60), Paraguay (64), Costa Rica (68), the Dominican Republic (73), Jamaica (77), Bolivia (85), Ecuador (91), Guatemala (101), Honduras (102) and Trinidad and Tobago (103).
In the 2021 ranking, Brazil, ranked 35th, Argentina, ranked 41st, and Mexico, ranked 44th, occupy the top three Latin positions and are the only countries in the region among the 50 most influential in the world.
The report highlighted that the three countries share categories with above average scores in categories such as “Good place to visit”, “Leaders in sports” (Argentina and Brazil to a greater extent), “friendly people” and “fun”. .
They also share common features in the worst-rated pillars, such as the “stable economy”, business and trade, as well as in education and science. In addition, the Covid-19 crisis management penalized all Latin American countries for the low ratings they received.
In this sense, Brazil (1.4), Venezuela (1.6) and Mexico (1.9) are the countries that obtain the lowest rating in the management of Covid-19. On the contrary, Uruguay (3.5), Panama, Paraguay and Costa Rica, both with 3.3 points, Colombia (3.1) and Peru (3) are the best qualified.
The study indicates that Argentina and Colombia are the countries in Latin America that are improving their level of influence the most, unlike Venezuela, which drops by 37 places to 92 due to the entry of new countries in the ranking.
“Like any business, Latin American countries have the opportunity to establish their own brand strategy based on strengths or trying to consolidate their weaknesses,” said Laurence Newell, Director of Brand Finance Americas.