By Megan Trimble, Associate Editor, Social Media
The United States has missed the mark yet again in a global reputation ranking.
America's image has taken a hit in the Donald Trump era, and 33 countries are currently viewed as more reputable nations, according to the 2018 ranking from the aptly named Reputation Institute.
The institute's annual ranking assesses ethics and perception of corruption across the 55 largest countries by gross domestic product, and surveyed more than 58,000 people from France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States, Canada and Russiabetween March and April 2018.
While the U.S. score did recover 1.7 points from 2017, when it saw the highest reputation drop of any country, the nation's reputation score among Americans has dropped 7 points since Trump assumed the Oval Office. The survey found that while the U.S. is globally known for its beauty, seen as creating lots of successful brands and regarded as technologically advanced, it scored low in safety, ethics and having an effective government.Such a finding is the latest in a series of global findings that cast a shadow over America's standing among the world's top nations. In the 2018 U.S. News Best Countries rankings, the U.S. fell from No. 7 Best Country to No. 8. The drop came on the heels of other global polls that found perceptions of the U.S. have diminished – a trend tied in part to Trump.
Sweden – a country known for its transparency, commitment to sustainability and quality of life – took the No. 1 spot in the reputation ranking, rising from third place in 2017. Its Nordic neighbors – which are known for their high happiness levels – also make appearances in the top of the ranking, with Finland, Norway and Denmark all landing in the top 10. Europe, however, held the lion's share of reputable countries, with six out of the top 10.
The least reputable countries in the ranking are: Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Nigeria, Iran and Iraq.
The world's 10 most reputable countries are listed below:
| Country | Reputable Rank | Overall Best Countries Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 1 | 6 |
| Finland | 2 | 14 |
| Switzerland | 3 | 1 |
| Norway | 4 | 12 |
| New Zealand | 5 | 13 |
| Australia | 6 | 7 |
| Canada | 7 | 2 |
| Japan | 8 | 5 |
| Denmark | 9 | 11 |
| Netherlands | 10 | 10 |
More country-related rankings can be found here.