"South Korea Surpasses France to Rank 7th Among World's Most Influential Countries... Who Is No. 1?"

The United States Tops the List with a Score of 95.36
China and Russia Rank Second and Third, Respectively

South Korea ranked 7th, surpassing France, in the list of the 'World's Most Influential Countries in 2025' selected by a U.S. media outlet.

Image to aid understanding of the article. Photo of Seoul. Pixabay

According to the U.S. business publication CEO World Magazine on December 9, South Korea received a total score of 94.18, placing 7th out of 190 countries surveyed.

The United States topped the list with a score of 95.36, followed by China (94.86) and Russia (94.81) in second and third place, respectively. India (94.76), the United Kingdom (94.56), and Japan (94.31) followed, with France, Italy, and T?rkiye ranking after South Korea.

The publication described the United States, which ranked first, as "possessing the world's largest advanced economy and overwhelming capital markets, as well as a massive defense budget that enables it to project military power globally."

It also noted, "The United States plays a leading role in international organizations and maintains dominance in key technological sectors," adding, "Its soft power-through global entertainment, digital platforms, higher education, and cultural exports-serves as unofficial influence that strengthens its official power."

This ranking was determined by comprehensively evaluating seven criteria-political stability, economic influence, defense budget, weapons systems, global alliances, cultural influence, and military strength-across 190 countries worldwide.

The publication explained that it conducted approximately 296,000 global surveys via telephone and online, and that the scores were calculated by combining the survey results with data from international organizations and economic research institutes.