In an index that measures the influence of nations, Portugal remained stable in almost all indicators but rose in indicators such as the economic environment and the attributes of its population.

“Some of the best-performing countries are small countries like Finland, Estonia, Ireland, Singapore or the United Arab Emirates, and the reason is that they are quite firm in their organisation. They develop a strategy for what they want to do and then put it into action,” said the consultancy’s president, David Haigh.

Speaking to Lusa, this official believes that “Portugal could do much more, because it is a great country”. The Global Soft Power Index is produced by surveying over 170,000 people in over 100 countries to collect data on perceptions of the 193 member states of the United Nations, which are ranked using 55 different metrics.

‘Soft Power’ is defined as “the ability of a country to influence others in the international arena through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion.” Although the US maintains the top spot, Haigh told Lusa News Agency that he believes there has been a “mismatch” since the election of President Donald Trump, which should lead to a drop in the table, as happened in the previous term.

In 2021, the US dropped to sixth place, its worst result in six editions of this study.

China's rise to second place reflects not only the UK's loss of influence after Brexit but also the Asian powerhouse's investment in cultural and economic diplomacy such as the Belt and Road Initiative, international media, expansion of Confucius cultural centers and foreign aid funding.

In 2021, China was ranked eighth. “They realised it’s good for their economy if they can change people’s minds,” Haigh said. Involvement in wars has hurt the reputation of Israel, which has fallen to 33rd place, and Ukraine (46th), but Russia has remained in 16th place, although this is well below its ninth place in 2022.

“A lot of people would say it’s not fair because they are the aggressor, but a lot of countries are sympathetic to Russia, for example when it comes to Western interference,” Haigh explained.

In relation to Portuguese-speaking countries, Angola fell to 128th place, Mozambique fell to 137th, Cape Verde fell to 155th, Equatorial Guinea fell to 161st, Guinea-Bissau rose to 162nd, São Tomé and Príncipe rose to 172nd and East Timor fell to 180th.