Written by the Swedish Institute
About the report
This report examines the strength of Sweden’s brand internationally, based on the strategy for a stronger image of Sweden abroad. The strategy has been developed by the
Swedish Institute (SI) together with the Brand Sweden Council, and more than three hundred actors representing business, academia, industry and interest organisations, regions, and government agencies.
The report will be published annually and serve as a knowledge base for Swedish actors who communicate and promote Sweden: through trade, talent attraction, tourism, culture, investment, or other forms of international presence.
The report analyses the familiarity of Sweden and Sweden’s reputation in eight selected markets. It also examines the extent to which Sweden is associated with the strengths highlighted in the strategy for a stronger image of Sweden. These strengths are: strong democracy, reliability, collaboration, creativity, and pioneering. The indicators tracked in the report are closely linked to these areas.
The eight markets: the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Japan, India, Germany, China, and Brazil, have been selected because they are important to Sweden’s trade and international relations. For comparison, perceptions of four countries with a similar profile are also analysed: Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Switzerland.
To assess the strength of the brand Sweden, it is also essential to start from how Sweden actually performs. SI has therefore examined Sweden’s rankings in several major international indices. SI has also investigated how the Swedish public perceives Sweden.
This is important, as Swedes’ view of their own country influences both what is communicated and how it is communicated
