Brand South Africa today welcomed South Africa’s improved performance in the annual Nation Brand Index.  South Africa now stands at 35 of the 50 nations assessed.  This is an improvement of three places from the 2015 Nation Brand Index.

Speaking about the results, Brand South Africa’s CEO Dr Kingsley Makhubela said, “South Africa’s improved performance can be attributed to improved perceptions of our governance, immigration and investment, and people.  This speaks directly to the work we are doing as a country in implementing the National Development Plan and programmes like Invest South Africa.”

“In addition, our Nation Brand continues to be admired for our unspoiled natural beauty, with 13 nations ranking South Africa in the top 25 countries being assessed.  Moreover, we are recognised internationally for our efforts to preserve the environment.  In this regard, South Africa moved up 6 places to stand at 29th of 50 nations.  This resonates with the brand of the country as a good international citizen.”

“Our sporting prowess continues to impact positively on perceptions about the country. “Furthermore, an increased desire of global citizens to live and work in South Africa, concern for equality in society, and academic reputation help drive the larger than average gains for South Africa’s Immigration and Investment reputation this year.”

“As we conclude 2016, we can take pride in the strides our Nation Brand has made in its performance in this and the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index.  In both indices, we have seen South Africa build on improvements from previous years.  We can say with confidence that our country is going in the right direction as a globally competitive Nation Brand,” concluded Dr Makhubela.

South Africa’s performance on the pillars of exports, culture, and tourism remains remains unchanged from 2015.

Issued by Brand South Africa