South Korea overtook France and Italy to place 7th in the “Most Influential Countries in the World in 2025” ranking released by a U.S. media outlet. As the ranking reflects not only military strength or economic size but also alliance networks, advanced industries, and cultural influence, it is being interpreted as an indicator of South Korea’s changing status.

According to U.S. business outlet CEOWORLD magazine on the 9th (local time), South Korea scored a total of 94.18 points based on a composite evaluation across seven categories: political stability, economic influence, defense budget, weapons systems, global alliances, soft power, and military strength. Among the countries surveyed, it ranked 7th, ahead of France (93.55 points), Italy (93.30 points), and Türkiye (93.30 points).

The outlet assessed that South Korea’s advanced industrial capabilities, solid alliance network, and regional leadership are combining to translate into long-term national influence.

● “Scale, alliances, soft power” — background to the U.S. at No. 1



The United States ranked first with a total score of 95.36 points. China (94.86 points) and Russia (94.81 points) placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively, while India (94.76 points), the United Kingdom (94.56 points), and Japan (94.31 points) rounded out the top six.

CEOWORLD cited “Scale, Systems, and Story” as the reasons the United States is expected to maintain its No. 1 position in 2025.

In terms of scale, the United States was evaluated as having the advantage of being able to project military power around the world on the basis of one of the world’s largest advanced economies, powerful capital markets, and a massive defense budget.

From the systems perspective, the analysis was that a dense alliance network, a leading role in international organizations, and dominance in key technology sectors underpin America’s structural centrality.

In terms of story, it explained that soft power generated through global entertainment, digital platforms, higher education, and cultural exports shapes global discourse and supplements formal power with informal influence.

● What low-ranking countries have in common

By contrast, Liberia (59.74 points), Somalia (59.61 points), Benin (59.43 points), Bhutan (59.34 points), and Moldova (59.23 points) were listed among the lowest-ranking countries. These countries were analyzed as facing difficulties in expanding their global influence due to structural factors such as limitations in economic size, weak institutional capacity, and constraints on their ability to exert influence beyond their borders.

CEOWORLD magazine stated that it conducted approximately 296,000 telephone and online surveys and combined them with data from international organizations and economic research institutes to derive the scores.

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