BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec. 16
Trend:
Azerbaijan has taken the 45th place in the list of the most powerful countries on earth, leaving behind Portugal, Colombia, Thailand, Argentina, Czech Republic, Croatia and other countries.
The Power Rankings, which include 80 countries, have been published in the U.S. News magazine, Trend reports.
The US, Russia and China ranked first, second and third, respectively.
The countries with the least influence in the world include Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia and Estonia.
When compiling the rating, such criteria as GDP, size of the population and GDP per capita were taken into account.
The world’s most powerful countries also are the ones that consistently dominate news headlines, preoccupy policymakers and shape global economic patterns, according to the report.