Casablanca – Morocco has consolidated its position as the country with the strongest reputation in Africa and the Arab world, ranking 27th globally in the 2026 RepCore Nations report after climbing three places from the previous year.
The findings were presented during an international webinar on country reputation management, where Morocco was featured alongside Ukraine as one of two notable case studies. Issam Lotfi, Chief Strategic Officer at Morocco’s Institut Royal des Études Stratégiques (IRES), took part in the discussion alongside Maria Lypiatska, Head of Brand Ukraine.
Morocco’s rise was accompanied by stronger perceptions in several areas assessed by the study. The country improved its indicators related to technological perception, public resource management, and international sporting achievements.
These factors contributed to its improved overall position in the ranking, which measures the admiration, respect, and trust countries generate among international audiences.
The 2026 study places Morocco ahead of all other African and Arab countries included in the ranking. It assesses countries through 22 rational attributes covering economic, political, social, cultural, and environmental dimensions.
Ukraine was the other country examined during the webinar. Its overall reputation remained stable, while it recorded improvements in perceptions related to security, technological development, and its business environment.
The report said these gains reinforced the admiration and international solidarity associated with Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion.
The wider ranking showed a decline in the reputation of most major economies. The average reputation score of the 60 largest economies fell by 0.86 points compared with the previous year, with 43 countries recording declines, 14 improving, and three remaining stable.
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Japan made the biggest move into first place, rising seven positions and overtaking Canada and Switzerland. Australia and Denmark followed, while Norway, Italy, Finland, New Zealand and Sweden completed the top 10.
Japan, China, and Russia recorded the largest improvements over the previous year, although China and Russia remained in the weak or poor reputation categories. Israel suffered the largest decline, losing 7.2 points in one year and falling two positions. Since 2022, its score has dropped 15.75 points, and its ranking has fallen 20 places.
Iran moved into last place, while the United States continued to record a weak reputation among G7 respondents after its sharp decline in 2025.
Reputation Lab said the results also show the economic value of national reputation. A one-point increase in Reputation Score is associated on average with a 7.2 percent rise in tourism revenues and a 1 percent increase in foreign direct investment flows.
The 2026 edition was based on 124,014 evaluations collected across 36 countries covering the reputation of 74 nations. The published ranking focuses on the 60 largest economies by GDP, as assessed by public opinion in G7 countries.
