Germany knocked the U.S. out of the top spot in an international survey measuring the popularity of countries around the world.
Germany ranked first and the United States second out of 50 countries in the annual Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index, which polled more than 20,000 people across 20 countries. It’s the first time the U.S. hasn’t held first place since 2009.
The study measures global perceptions of countries based on a variety of attributes, including governance, culture and sports. According to a statement from GfK, the German-based market research that runs the study, Germany benefited from a boost in the “sports excellence” category after winning the 2014 World Cup.
The United States was brought down by poor perceptions in Egypt and Russia.
Russia, meanwhile, dropped more in its global perception ranking than any other of the 50 countries.
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