The Land of the Rising Sun outshines The Lion City as Asia's top country brand

Singapore might be trailing behind Japan in terms of technology, workforce competitiveness and quality of education, but the city state remains the top choice of job seekers and investors for growth opportunities.

The 2010 Country Brand Index (CBI) study conducted by FutureBrand and presented in partnership with BBC World News revealed that Singapore is the second strongest brand of all Asian countries and is ranked 15th globally.

The sixth study assessed 110 countries across 26 image attributes and six other measures of brand strength, highlighted among the key drivers of positive perceptions of a country.

Singapore as the shoppers’ and food lovers’ choice

According to the survey, Singapore ranked the fifth best country in the world for food tourism – behind Italy, Japan, France and Thailand. Southeast Asia performed exceedingly well with Malaysia and Vietnam joining Thailand and Singapore in the top 10.

Besides eating, shopping is one of Singaporeans’ favourite past times. Singapore was ranked the sixth best country for shopping and the second best in Asia, after China. Japan, the UAE and Thailand were the other Asian countries in the top 10, placing in seventh, eighth and ninth respectively.

Great place to work

Singapore is ranked seventh globally, and second only behind global leader Japan as the country with the most advanced technology. Germany and the United States ranked behind Japan in the global rankings, with no other Asian country featuring in the top 10.

With its high cost of living, strong level of infrastructure and iconic regional hub status, there continues to be a high level of investment in Singapore. The survey shows that Singapore ranked second in the globe, only behind Switzerland for its strong investment climate.

With labour as its only natural resource, having a skilled workforce is critical to Singapore’s success. The survey showed that Singapore has the 10th most skilled workforce globally, and the second strongest in Asia, behind Japan, which placed third globally. Switzerland and Germany make the top two.

Quality of Life

Singaporeans are believed to have the best quality of life in all of Asia and is ranked eighth globally.

Led by its strong public school system and its high standard of universities, Singapore ranked 10th globally and second in Asia – behind Japan – for its education system. The Scandinavian countries led the way in education with Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark all featuring in the top five.

The lion city ranked seventh globally and second in Asia – behind the UAE – for job opportunities. Australia topped the list worldwide, with Canada and the United States coming second and third.

Ranked sixth globally, Singapore is the safest city in Asia. Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries made up the top five safest countries in the world.

Singapore ranked eighth as the country respondents would ‘most like to live in’, and also topped the charts for Asia. Switzerland, Canada and Australia are the top three ranked countries.