It's official: UAE country brand is ranked 16th in the world

The Future Brand Country Index 2019 also placed the UAE as the best Arab country.

On his official Twitter account, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said: “I’ve been briefed today on the world's future brand global index that measures the success of 75 countries around the world in terms of visitors, accommodation, investment and stability. The UAE is the first Arab country and the 16th best in the world. We will continue the race to improve the attractiveness of our country in all fields.”

The 2019 Country Index by the brand consultancy Future Brand highlights “measures of a great nation beyond GDP, using survey responses on quality of life, business, culture, values, and tourism to rank countries.”

A global sample of 2,500 from across the world were interviewed and asked to rate 75 countries on a wide range of measures.

Japan was labeled as the best brand country in the world. “Japan’s rich culture, which encompasses a favourable quality of life, natural beauty, and heritage, beckons visitors from around the globe,” said the report’s authors.

Norway, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland were also ranked in the top five.

FutureBrand ranked Mexico at the bottom of the list for the quality of life, followed by the Dominican Republic, India and Iraq.

In the 2019 Index’s list of the most influential cities, New York retained its top position even though the so-called ‘Trump effect’ has been blamed for falling numbers of international students and fewer tourists across the US.

“Cities provide a powerful sense of place marked by the highs and lows of urban life — whether that’s crime, cost of living, infrastructure, or culture,” according to the report.

“London has hung on to the number two spot despite an alarming rise in knife crime, while Beijing is still in third place in the face of a potential US-China trade war.”

Most influential cities