News: 2014 World's Favourite Country May Or May Not Shock You: See AGRNBI's Top 10

Angela Merkel and the people of Germany may have their football team to thank for their win, as the polling took place in July this year, days after they won the World Cup.

People around the world now have more positive perceptions of Germany than of 49 other developed and developing countries, according to the annual Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index (NBI).

'Germany appears to have benefited not only from the sports prowess it displayed on the world stage at the FIFA World Cup championship, but also by solidifying its perceived leadership in Europe through a robust economy and steady political stewardship,' said Simon Anholt, an independent policy advisor.

The U.S. has come out on top every year since 2009, but this year lost out to Germany following military interventions across the globe.

For the past ten years, Anholt and GfK have together been measuring the image of 50 countries on 23 attributes, separated into six overall categories; Exports, Governance, Culture, People, Tourism and Immigration/Investment.

For the 2014 study, a total of 20,125 interviews were conducted in 20 countries, with at least 1,000 interviews per country.


THE ANHOLT-GFK ROPER NATION BRANDS INDEX (AGRNBI) - TOP TEN

1. Germany

2. United States

3. United Kingdom

4. France

5. Canada

6. Japan

7. Italy

8. Switzerland

9. Australia

10. Sweden