Lowy Institute launches digital index to map magnitude of the world’s diplomatic networks

The shape and size of the world’s most significant diplomatic networks are brought into full digital perspective with the launch today (Tuesday, March 15, 12.01am AEDT) of the Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index.

The Lowy Institute for International Policy has created a new interactive web tool which maps and ranks the diplomatic networks of all forty-two G20 and OECD nations.
 
For the first time, it is now possible to view and compare the extent and reach of these global diplomatic networks, from the largest G20 nations to some of the smallest nations in the developed world, by country, city or even GDP.
 
The interactive map displays these networks down to an intricate level of detail, showing by type and location almost 6000 diplomatic missions, such as embassies and consulates, these forty-two countries maintain in nearly 700 cities across the globe.
 
“The Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index shows that nations continue to make significant investments in maintaining their networks of diplomatic missions,” says Alex Oliver, lead author of the Index.

The Index has unearthed some perhaps unexpected results.
 
Canada has more than twice the population and GDP of the Netherlands, but the two countries rank equally on their diplomatic network size. Spain has forty more diplomatic posts than India, despite an economy just two-thirds of the size and a fraction of the population.
 
The diplomatic networks of small nations such as Greece, the Netherlands, and Switzerland have greater global coverage than Australia’s, for example, despite having far smaller economies and populations. Australia’s 27th overall ranking is well below what might be expected of the world’s 12th largest economy. It has 110 posts, equalling Saudi Arabia as the lowest-ranked G20 nation, and behind Belgium, Portugal, and the Czech Republic in the overall rankings.
 
“We are witnessing dramatic transformations to diplomacy in the twenty-first century, with the rise of digital communications, the increasing security threats to embassies in dangerous parts of the world, and tightening government budgets. Yet despite these challenges, the Index shows that the embassy, as the traditional ‘shopfront’ for a nation’s diplomacy, still plays a crucial role,” says Ms Oliver.
 
The Index is a result of an intensive research process that commenced in February 2015 and continued throughout the year. Direct data exchanges with G20 and OECD foreign ministries and their embassies and consulates were combined with desk research on ministry websites and the use of secondary sources as necessary.

To explore the interactive, click here.