Think of a “national brand” as how your country’s cultural, political, commercial and human assets, etc. are perceived by people around the world. Big surprise, Brand U.S.A. falls short:

This is according to the first ever Nation Brands Index, which ranked 11 different countries according to how people view them. The survey, produced by nation brands expert Simon Anholt and the U.S. market research firm Global Market Insite (GMI), Inc., asked consumers from GMI’s global, five-million-strong market research panel to rate the countries in six areas–tourism, exports, governance, people, culture and heritage, and investment and immigration.

Sweden emerged on top while the U.S. shared fourth place with Germany. Here are the complete rankings in descending order:

1. Sweden
2. U.K.
3. Italy
4. Germany, U.S.A. (tie)
5. Japan
6. China
7. India
8. South Korea
9. Russia
10. Turkey

Note: Consumers in the following countries were polled–Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States–with representative samples of 1000 consumers (3% margin of error) collected in each country for a total of 10,000 survey participants. Consumers were not asked about their own country.

According to the GMI press release, “a relatively low ranking for the U.S.A. could be explained by deep unpopularity of U.S. foreign policy which is dragging down positive perceptions about trade, exports, investment and popular culture.”

What’s more, while the U.K. government is perceived as “trustworthy,” the U.S. government is seen as “dangerous” and “dishonest.”

But is national brand important? In an interview with U.S. News & World Report, Simon Anholt has this to say:

“Just like companies, [countries] depend greatly on their image and must manage it carefully. A strong national brand helps to attract investment, talent, consumers, and tourists, and it enhances the country’s cultural and political influence. It’s virtually impossible for countries to compete today without one.”