According to the UK-based Higher Education Policy Institute, "the number of current world leaders who chose to be educated in another country can serve as a useful, though rough and incomplete, indicator of soft power". So what does the research say? As of 2019, the United States holds the most of this soft power 'currency', with 62 current world leaders - heads of state and heads of government - having studied at the higher education level in the country.

The United Kingdom is close behind in second place with 59. Over the last three years, the biggest increase has been observed in France - going from 34 in 2017 to the current 40.