According to the 2025 Democracy Perception Index, China has overtaken the US in global favorability for the first time. The survey reveals regional shifts, especially in West Asia, and growing dissatisfaction with US foreign policy.
More countries around the world view China more favorably than the United States, according to the 2025 Democracy Perception Index, described as the world’s largest annual study on how people perceive democracy. This milestone marks a significant reversal in global sentiment and signals a potential shift in international alignment.
The global survey, conducted by Nira Data and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, interviewed over 110,000 respondents in 100 countries between April 9 and April 23, 2025. The findings indicate a notable decline in the US’s international image over the past year.
The data shows a sharp transformation in global opinion. The US saw its net favorability rating fall from +22% in 2024 to -5% in 2025. In contrast, China maintained a positive global rating of +14%, creating a 19-point gap in favor of Beijing.
Notably, the proportion of countries where the US holds a net positive image dropped from 76% to 45% within a year. In country-by-country comparisons, 76 out of 96 nations now view China more favorably than the United States, representing a 79% to 21% margin.
While traditional US allies such as “Israel”, South Korea, Japan, Poland, and Ukraine still express strong support for Washington, the report highlights these as “relative exceptions.”
