Berlin – Amidst the corona pandemic, a number of international surveys showed that people around the globe have increased regard for German rationalism, stability, respect for law and leadership.

Among other things, nations are brands – and Germany got some very good news on that score in October, when it came out on top of the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index (NBI).

It was the fourth straight year and the sixth time overall that Germany topped the annual ranking of fifty countries by the French market research group. Criteria for the survey included exports, immigration and investment, culture and governance.

“I am delighted about the positive perception of Germany as a business location abroad,” says German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmeier.” This shows that we are on the right track. However, we are not resting on our laurels, but are continuing to work on putting the right policy environment in place for forward-looking investments in a digital and green economy in Germany and Europe.

Few places in world went through a more turbulent 2020 than the United States, and against that backdrop, the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany (AmCham) reported an increase of confidence in Germany by American businesspeople. Major US entrepreneurs gave Germany a grade of 1.8 as a business location in Am Cham’s annual survey, also in October. That represented an improvement over the already positive grade received in 2019.

“It’s just another manifestation of the fact that many US companies view Germany as a well-managed country,” said AmCham Germany President Frank Sportolari. “The government is very stable, and there’s a respect for law, legal processes, intellectual property, etc… There’s just a very good atmosphere in Germany and that’s attractive to American companies.”

Back in July, Germany topped the annual Gallup poll of the world’s most admired nations for the third year on the trot. Germany beat out the second-placed United States by ten percentage points.

And even when Germany shared the accolades with other nations, it did well in international surveys, for instance, placing fourth on the annual US News and World Report list of the world’s top ten countries behind Switzerland, Canada and Japan. That made Germany the most highly regarded country in the European Union.

“It is with humility and without triumphalism that we Germans register the faith of people around the world in our country, our government and our economy,” said Robert Hermann, CEO of Germany’s economic development agency Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI). “2020 was a difficult year for people and businesses everywhere, but progress has been made in controlling the coronavirus pandemic and preserving and restarting the economy in Germany. We believe that one of the keys to Germany’s relative success is its resolute internationalism. We hope that more and more foreign companies come to Germany to do business. This can only help in our efforts to overcome the current crisis and increase our mutual prosperity.

Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) is the economic development agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. GTAI supports German companies setting up in foreign markets, promotes Germany as a business location and assists foreign companies setting up in Germany.