Morocco becomes the best-regarded country in Africa and the Arab world

Morocco is consolidating its status as a regional leader in terms of reputation. In the 2026 edition of RepCore Nations, the Kingdom ranks 27th among the world’s 60 largest economies, three places higher than the previous year.

It thus becomes the country with the best reputation in Africa and the Arab world among the states covered by the ranking. The study does not directly measure Moroccans’ opinions, but rather the admiration, respect and trust that countries inspire abroad.

The published results are based on 124 014 online evaluations collected in 36 countries. The final ranking of the major economies is established based on public perceptions in the G7 countries: Germany, Canada, United States, France, Italy, Japan and United Kingdom.

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According to Reputation Lab, which conducts the RepCore Nations study, Morocco’s progress is explained in particular by an improvement in perceptions of the Kingdom in three areas: technology, public resource management and international sporting performances.

Sport has become one of the main instruments of Morocco’s influence. The results of the national teams, the organization of African competitions and preparations for the 2030 World Cup have considerably strengthened the country’s visibility.

This progress confirms the role of football in transforming Morocco into a new global sporting stronghold. Dual-national players and figures such as Achraf Hakimi also contribute to this soft power well beyond the stadiums.

Technology represents the other notable development. The growth of the automotive and aerospace industries, renewable energy and digital infrastructure is helping to change the image of an economy previously associated above all with tourism and agriculture.

A reputation that can pay off

The global ranking is led by Japan, which climbs seven places and overtakes Canada and Switzerland. It is followed by Canada, Switzerland, Australia and Denmark. Conversely, the reputation of 43 of the 60 ranked economies declined in 2026.

Against this generally unfavorable backdrop, Morocco’s progress appears all the more significant. The Kingdom is one of the 14 economies that improved their image, while only three remained stable.

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Reputation Lab estimates that a one-point improvement in its indicator is associated, on average, with a 7.2% increase in the value of tourism revenues and a 1% increase in foreign investment flows. This is a general statistical relationship, not a guarantee of automatic gains for every country.

The study also introduces an indicator measuring the effect of the country of origin on products. It finds that a good reputation increases trust in national companies and consumers’ willingness to pay more for their goods.

The result does not, however, mean that all of Morocco’s image problems have disappeared. Previous surveys had already shown a gap between the Kingdom’s international reputation and the much harsher perception held by Moroccans themselves. The 2026 study focuses above all on the external view of G7 residents.

Morocco is nevertheless managing to make progress at a time when the image of most major economies is deteriorating. From football to technology, its international successes no longer bring it visibility alone: they now strengthen the trust and respect associated with the country’s name.