In a landmark global survey that underscores shifting international perceptions of major world powers, Gallup’s 2025 polling has found that China has pulled ahead of the United States in global public approval of its global leadership. The analysis, which drew responses from more than 130,000 people across over 130 nations—with roughly 1,000 respondents per participating country—recorded a median global approval rating of 36% for China’s leadership, compared to 31% for the United States.
Published on Friday, Gallup’s report confirms that this five-percentage-point gap in China’s favor is the largest margin recorded for the country since tracking this metric nearly two decades ago. The shift in global rankings did not emerge from a single trend, but rather from two parallel movements: falling approval for the U.S. paired with rising positive sentiment toward China. Between 2024 and 2025, median approval of U.S. leadership dropped eight points, from 39% to 31%, pushing it back to the historic lows recorded in earlier years. Over the same period, China’s median approval rose four points, climbing from 32% in 2024 to 36% last year.
Notably, the survey’s data collection concluded before the start of 2026, meaning it does not reflect public opinion on the new round of foreign policy moves the U.S. has implemented this year, including its military strike on Iran and its withdrawal from 66 global multilateral organizations.
The erosion of U.S. approval is not limited to nations critical of American policy. The report documents clear approval declines even across many longstanding U.S. allied nations, including a large share of NATO member partners. The steepest drop was recorded in Germany, where approval of U.S. leadership plummeted by 39 percentage points year-over-year.