Morocco Ranks First in Africa and Arab World in 2026 Global Reputation Ranking

Rabat, The Gulf Observer: Morocco has maintained its position as the country with the strongest reputation in Africa and the Arab world, ranking 27th globally in the 2026 RepCore Nations ranking after advancing three places from the previous year.

The findings were presented during an international webinar on country reputation management, where Morocco was highlighted as one of two notable case studies alongside Ukraine. Issam Lotfi, Chief Strategic Officer at Morocco’s Institut Royal des Études Stratégiques (IRES), participated in the discussion.

Morocco recorded improved perceptions across several areas assessed by the study, particularly technological development, public resource management and international sporting achievements. These improvements contributed to the country’s stronger overall position in the ranking, which measures the admiration, respect and trust generated by countries among international audiences.

The 2026 ranking evaluates countries across 22 attributes covering economic, political, social, cultural and environmental dimensions. Morocco ranked ahead of all other African and Arab countries included in the assessment.

The broader report showed an overall decline in the reputation of most major economies. The average reputation score of the 60 largest economies fell by 0.86 points compared with the previous year, with 43 countries recording declines, 14 improving and three remaining stable.

Japan topped the global ranking after rising seven positions, followed by Canada and Switzerland, while Australia and Denmark also placed among the leading countries.

According to Reputation Lab, the study also highlighted the economic significance of national reputation, with a one-point increase in a country’s Reputation Score associated on average with a 7.2 percent increase in tourism revenues and a 1 percent rise in foreign direct investment flows.

The 2026 edition was based on 124,014 evaluations collected across 36 countries and assessed the reputation of 74 nations, with the published ranking focusing on the 60 largest economies by gross domestic product as viewed by respondents in G7 countries.