most respected countries in the world

Irelands reputation has shot up once again after economic indicators began to improve. It has always scored well in terms of appealing environment and effective government.

Famous for its pristine beauty, strong economy, effective government, and good infrastructure, Austria is the first of the enviable countries on our list. These countries are the developed economies known for their systems that just work. Low corruption, good education, efficient healthcare, high quality of life, and effective safety nets characterize their societies.

The UK fared slightly above average on all indicators but the one area where it broke the top 10 was education. Behind, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and the Nordic countries people rated the UK as being their top place to study.

Although it fared poorly in governance and business environment, it did extremely well in almost every other category lifestyle, natural beauty, friendliness, culture, popular brands, etc. Furthermore, Italians seem to be the most humble as they rated their country significantly lower than did the rest of the world.

Tying with Japan at 69 points, Germanys reputation suffered some setbacks along with France due to the recent pressures on the European Union and the financial situation with Greece.

The most respectedAsian country on our list, Japan scored highest in the advanced economy dimension (technology, high quality products, well known brands).

Spain is the first country on our list whose own citizens have a lower view of their nation than foreigners. Most countries (especially Russia, China, and India) had extremely inflated views of themselves relative to the rest of the world.

With some indicators starting to improve, southern European countries like Portugal have seen their reputations rise as well.

Due to the economic crisis and constraint policies, France was one of the European nations whose reputation fell slightly.

The Asian Tiger is seen as having a strong economy, effective government, and very low corruption.