The Nation Brands Index top ranked countries

Germany moved top of the rankings after coming in second last year. It ranked in the top five in all but one of the six categories. The study noted that their increase in scores came in part because of improved perceptions among Egyptians, Russians, Chinese and Italians.

France reached second spot for the first time since 2009. They benefited greatly in how others preceived the country's governance — an improvement that could be attributed to the impact of recently-elected President Emmanuel Macron. France also ranks first in culture, second in tourism and fifth in exports.

The UK rebounded from its Brexit-induced drop in overall score last year to hold third place in the rankings. The study concluded that most countries have come to terms with Brexit, which is why the country's governance score improved by two points. The UK is also a top five country in exports, tourism, culture and immigration/investments.

Canada remains fourth largely because it has the highest ranking in governance, people and immigration/investment. Their overall score did not increase much from last year, but because neighbors the United States plummeted in the rankings, their consistent perception was a positive gain.

Japan made a big jump up the 2017 in what the study called "a banner year" for the country. Its exports remain its calling card — it is the only category in which Japan is in the top five — but Japan also made major gains in governance, culture and immigration/investment.

The United States made the biggest drop of any of the top-five countries in the rankings, falling from first in 2016 all the way down to sixth. The main cause was what the study called "The Trump effect" — the United states dropped from 19th to 23rd in the governance category. However, the US is second in exports and culture and fifth in immigration/investment.