Sri Lanka ranked 79th in the world for ‘Ease of doing business in and with’

By Huzefa Aliasger

Colombo, March 24 (Daily Mirror) - Sri Lanka is ranked 79th out of 193 countries in the world in 2026 for ease of doing business due to growing confidence in its regulatory environment, signalling a positive growth in business confidence. Sri Lanka also ranked 100 in the world for global power and influence in the world according to The Global Soft Power Index (GSPI) by Brand Finance.

The country was ranked in 2026 with a score of 33.8/100 in global soft power, down three positions from 97th in 2025. Brand Finance explains that “Soft Power is defined as a nation’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviours of various actors in the international arena (states, corporations, communities, publics, etc.) through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion. Each nation is scored across 55 different metrics to arrive at an overall score out of 100 and ranked in order from 1st to 193rd.”

While Sri Lanka’s overall Soft Power ranking declined this year, the results reflect a mixed performance, with selective improvements emerging alongside persistent structural weaknesses. Perceptions of ease of doing business in and with Sri Lanka improved, aligning with easing inflation and lower borrowing costs. These shifts supported improved access to capital and stronger perceptions of economic stability, contributing to more favourable views of Sri Lanka as a destination to invest, work, study, and visit. Tourism and people-led indicators remain key sources of resilience, with Sri Lanka rising 8 places as ‘a great place to visit’, improving 10 places for food the world loves’, and climbing 13 places for friendliness.

Despite these gains, Sri Lanka’s overall Soft Power ranking declined, reflecting persistent structural weaknesses. Improvements in economic and people-facing perceptions have not been matched by progress in governance-related views. Global perceptions of governance deteriorated, signalling a disconnect between macroeconomic stabilisation and institutional reform. Sri Lanka’s influential media ranking also fell from 104th to 129th, indicating reduced global media presence and influence.

The United States is ranked 1 out of 193 countries in global soft power, whereas Kiribati is ranked last. Nepal has been ranked just above Sri Lanka as 99th in soft power, while Afghanistan is ranked 151, which is the lowest in South Asia.