China has overtaken the United Kingdom in the annual Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index, ranking second only to the United States, according to the company.
The 2025 Index is based on responses from more than 170,000 people across over 100 countries, covering all 193 UN member states. The US retained the top position despite reputational decline during a divisive presidential campaign, while China moved ahead of the UK for the first time since the survey began in 2019. Japan and Germany followed in fourth and fifth place.
Soft Power is defined by Brand Finance as the ability of a nation to influence preferences and behaviours internationally through attraction or persuasion rather than coercion. Countries are scored out of 100 across 55 metrics.
The report noted that Middle Eastern nations have generally lost momentum, with the exception of the UAE, which held 10th place. El Salvador rose 35 places, making it the fastest climber. Israel, meanwhile, experienced a reputational decline linked to its hard power activities.
Konrad Jagodzinski, Place Branding Director at Brand Finance, said: “While experts previously posited that all nation brands might experience a gradual score inflation over time, the data now suggests a zero-sum game, with winners and losers. The global public’s capacity to develop familiarity with and admiration for nation brands seems finite, favouring prominent countries and those making deliberate efforts to stand out.”
David Haigh, Chairman of Brand Finance, linked China’s performance to deliberate state-backed efforts. “China has invested heavily in enhancing its Soft Power, and now we’re seeing the result as it ranks higher than the United Kingdom for the first time in the six years Brand Finance has released the Global Soft Power Index. The 2025 rankings reflect China’s sustained efforts to enhance its economic attractiveness, showcase its culture, and boost its reputation as a safe and well-governed nation. The UK needs to keep up and the establishment of the UK Soft Power Council is a step in the right direction.”
View the full Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index 2025 here.
China has been expanding its influence in Africa through the Confucius Institute which is run by Beijing to promote Chinese language and culture (including political culture). What China is really after in Africa is cobalt, lithium and other minerals but the long term effect of the Confucius Institute could be a generation of Africans who believe Beijing’s authoritarian model of government is better than any version of Western democracy.