The World's Most Beloved Countries

It's all about the brand, even for governments.

And that's bad news for the United States. The Country Brand Index (CBI) just came out with its 8th annual report of the top country brands, and America doesn't even make the top five. It seems that Switzerland, which ranked number one on the list, is the Apple of nations. The CBI created its ranking based on “global perception,” measured by “a collective of 3600 opinion-formers, as well as a panel of experts across public policy, globalization and media–related disciplines from 18 countries.”

So, what makes a good country brand? The same things that make a good corporate brand, like whether people have a strong sense of that country's culture, whether they want to visit it and whether they want to do business with it.

The top countries also had to have a free, tolerant government and a high standard of living.

Check out the top 10 ranking country brands below: