France, 1st influential power in the world

For the first time, France lead the "Soft Power 30" ranking before the UK, the US, Germany and Canada. 

The "Soft Power 30" has been designed for 3 years by the British communication agency Portland for the Center on Public Diplomacy.

The agency studies over 60 countries chosen to provide an overview of current global powers and all geopolitical regions in the world. The first 30 countries are ranked depending on their capacity to expand and use their "soft power" over the current world. 

The ranking is defined by various aspects:

• Governance: the quality of political institutions
• Culture: the extent of cultural appeal 
• Diplomacy: the strength of the diplomatic network 
• Education: the reputation of the higher education system 
• Innovation and economy: the attractiveness of economy 
• digitalisation: the level of digital implementation 

The results of an international survey are also taken into account to draw up the results. For the 2017 edition, 11,000 people over 25 years old were consulted. This method allows to integrate subjective components to the global ranking. 

For the first time, France is leader of the "Soft Power 30" ranking of most influential powers worldwide.

Mostly, the recent election of Emmanuel Macron explains the very good result of France.

In any case, this leading place reminds the results of the Campus France survey on the image and attractive power of France to international students, in which 92% of students surveyed recommend France as study destination.