The Nation Brands Index (NBI) is a study that measures the strength of different nations' brands and how well the countries handle important global issues.
Just like last year, part of this year's survey is about health crises and the corona pandemic.
When 60,000 people from 20 countries have been asked about their views on how different nations have handled the pandemic, Sweden ranks seventh - compared to place 15 last year.
According to the research company Anholt Ipsos, countries that are ranked highest in the study are those that have succeeded well in distributing vaccines to their citizens and in controlling the infection.
In front of Sweden in the list are Germany, Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia and Norway.
At the Swedish Institute, Sweden's position is seen as "very positive".
"We rarely see countries make this type of move in international indices in such a short time.
Our country is often perceived to have acted consistently during the pandemic.
We already know that the image of Sweden is stable over time.
This measurement is a good indicator of that ", says Madeleine Sjöstedt, Director General of the Swedish Institute, in a press release.
The study was conducted by Anholt Ipsos during July and August 2021.
Criticized by the OECD
The new survey is also one in a series of reports on the subject published during the pandemic, and the results have varied.
In November, Sweden was awarded a bottom grade in a report from the international organization OECD, which works for economic cooperation and development.
The report stated that Sweden was among the worst in Europe when it came to reducing infection and discharging patients from IVA in the beginning of the pandemic.
The result was criticized by both state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell and Minister of the Interior Mikael Damberg (S).
Later it also turned out that the OECD calculated incorrectly in parts of the report, but in an updated version, Sweden still ended up at the bottom when it comes to reducing infection and discharging IVA patients.