NORTHERN Ireland has been ranked 22nd out of 50 international nations, according to a new annual report.
The 2018 Anholt–GfK Roper Nation Brands Index, which provides a measure of the north's international reputation, places the it in the same position as the previous year, although with a slightly lower score of 58.71.
The survey carried out by 50 global nations, covers six core dimensions of national competance; governance; immigration and investment; tourism; people; exports and culture.
Northern Ireland received higher overall rankings from western European and Anglo–American nations, with the best scores received from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Canada (21st). The north's lowest score was received from Egypt (38th).
In terms of the six categories, Northern Ireland was ranked highest in relation to governance (20th), despite being without a functional Executive for over two years. Immigration and investment (21st) and people (23rd) were next highest, with lower rankings observed in the areas of culture (35th), tourism (28th) and exports (26th).
Over half of the international respondents reported that they had some knowledge of Northern Ireland, resulting in a ‘familiarity’ ranking of 37th out of the 50 participating nations - a slight decrease on the 2017 score.
Less than one in 10 (7 per cent) said they had previously visited Northern Ireland to take a holiday or for business purposes. These respondents scored the north significantly higher than those yet to visit.
The 2018 survey involved over 20,000 online surveys, in 20 major developed and developing panel countries, with at least 1,000 per country.
This is Northern Ireland’s third inclusion in the rankings in as many years after its inaugural appearance in 2016.
