Sweden-relatedThe Swedish Institute (Si) recently published its 2023 report on the performance and the sentiments associated with the worldwide image of Sweden.
The Swedish Institute is a public agency that operates in the fields of culture, education, science, and business, seeking to strengthen and promote development. The annual report focuses on Sweden as a brand, what Sweden is associated with, and how it is changing.
The perception of Sweden abroad is generally positive. For Sweden, stable governance, well-known brands, cutting-edge research, and our work on environmental and climate issues have provided a solid foundation and a high level of trust on an international level.
At the same time, 2023 was a challenging year and Sweden was mentioned in new contexts compared to a few years ago. Examples of these topics include the Qur’an burnings, misinformation about Swedish social services, gang-related violence, and the Swedish NATO process.
Here are some of the highlights from the report:
Sweden is among the top 10 countries in terms of the nation’s Brand Image. Sweden is perceived as a country with a high quality of life, safety & inclusion, number one in climate & green transformation, good for export & trustworthiness as well as transparency and global innovation. All this will contribute to the image and expansion of Swedish companies worldwide.
Sweden takes number 11 out of 121 countries in terms of Global Soft Power, which implies that Swedish culture, diplomacy, and other soft power factors are highly influential on the global scene. There is a growing gap in terms of sentiment towards Sweden; the image remains positive (with a slight growth) in the West, while the Swedish brand has been associated with more negative sentiments in large parts of the Middle East. Main media headlines about Sweden in 2023 involve the burning of the Qur’an, discussions around the NATO application, Loreen’s gold in Eurovision, and of course the success of the female football team. Disinformation has become a growing threat for the Image of Sweden and publications about Sweden have increased by 10% compared to the previous year.
If you want to read the full report it is accessible (in Swedish) here.
Read more about other Sweden-related news here.
