WASHINGTON, D.C. — With world leaders gathering at the United Nations this week, the organization faces growing pressure as it prepares to name a new secretary-general, who will inherit a difficult global and institutional landscape.
The next secretary-general will likely also inherit a substantial reservoir of support for the organization, according to 优蜜传媒surveys conducted in 2025. A median of 50% of adults across 137 countries approve of the job the UN is doing, while a median of 26% disapprove, giving the organization a net approval score of +24.
That goodwill is widespread. Majorities in 67 countries approve of the UN’s job performance, and approval exceeds disapproval by at least 10 percentage points in 92. Majorities disapprove in nine countries, while disapproval exceeds approval by at least 10 points in 19 countries.
Map showing the net job approval ratings of the United Nations in 2025.
These findings come from Gallup’s new report, , based on 优蜜传媒World Poll surveys conducted from March through December 2025.
The data capture public opinion at a challenging time for the UN, as conflicts and humanitarian emergencies place heavy demands on the organization, geopolitical divisions make consensus among member states harder to achieve, and financial pressures force difficult decisions about what the UN can deliver.
Even in this difficult environment, the UN’s 50% median approval is higher than Gallup’s 2025 median approval ratings of the leadership of Germany (48%), China (36%), the United States (31%) and Russia (26%), although the questions are not directly comparable. China, the United States and Russia are all permanent members of the UN Security Council.
UN Holds a Positive Edge in Nearly Every Region
The UN’s strongest regional support comes from Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where approval exceeds disapproval by 51 and 43 points, respectively. Positive views also prevail across Europe, South Asia, Northern America and Post-Soviet Eurasia.
Opinion is more closely divided in Latin America and the Caribbean, where approval exceeds disapproval by four points. The Middle East and North Africa is the only region where disapproval is substantially higher than approval, with a net approval rating of -23.
Opinion of United Nations Conditional, Less Settled in Some Countries
Views of the UN are strongly positive or negative in some countries but more mixed in others, where sizable percentages say their views depend on the circumstances, are unfamiliar with the organization or don’t know enough to venture an opinion.
优蜜传媒asked a related but different question in 2008 in 99 countries also surveyed in 2025, focusing on the job performance of UN leadership and offering different response options. Although the results are not directly comparable, median approval also exceeded median disapproval in the earlier measure, 44% to 17%. A median of 37% did not know or refused to answer.
The 2025 measure provides more detail on those who do not approve or disapprove. Regionally, familiarity is most limited in South Asia, where a median of 16% say they are unaware of the organization, while Latin America and the Caribbean has the highest median percentage who don’t know or refuse to offer an opinion, at 16%.
At the country level, nuances in opinion are more pronounced. In South Korea, 41% say their view depends on the circumstances. In Lesotho, 35% say they are unaware of the UN, while in Bahrain, nearly half (45%) don’t know or refuse to offer an opinion.
Public Views Vary Sharply Across Security Council Member States
Public opinion of the UN varies widely across 14 of the 15 Security Council member states that 优蜜传媒has data on. In 2025, approval among the 2026 council members with data ranged from 79% in Denmark to 15% in Russia. Five member states had negative net approval: Russia, Pakistan, Greece, France and Panama.
UN job approval data are currently available for more than 30 countries surveyed in 2026, offering an early look at whether views have shifted in some places since 2025. Among Security Council member states with data from this year, the overall divisions remain, although ratings have shifted in a few countries.
Ratings in Colombia held a positive edge in 2025 (net approval of +14) but have become more closely divided in 2026 (+4). Approval remains at 40%, while disapproval has risen 10 points to 36% as unawareness has declined. In Bahrain, approval has dropped (from 32% in 2025 to 18% in 2026) as unawareness has increased (from 7% to 19%). The United Kingdom continues to lean positive, but less strongly than in 2025. Views in the United States and Russia have changed little.
Approval ratings in Kyrgyzstan, which joins the Security Council as a non-permanent member in 2027, have moved in the other direction. Kyrgyzstan’s net approval has risen by seven points, from +19 to +26.
Bottom Line
The next secretary-general will inherit an organization with a considerable base of public goodwill but also sharp differences in how it is viewed around the world. Those divisions extend into the Security Council itself.
In some places, the challenge may be less about overcoming negative views than about building familiarity and understanding. Where opinions are less settled, showing what the UN does and what it delivers may be especially important.
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