Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again been ranked the world’s most popular democratic leader, topping a global approval survey with a rating of 68 per cent. The latest findings, released by US-based
data analytics firm Morning Consult, place him significantly ahead of his counterparts in other major economies across the globe.
The data, part of the “Global Leader Approval Rating Tracker,” underscores PM Modi’s sustained “domestic popularity” and “growing international recognition.”
Switzerland’s President Guy Parmelin and South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung share the second position, each with an approval rating of 62 per cent. The latest data is based on responses collected between March 2 and March 8, 2026, and reflects a trailing seven-day simple moving average of opinions among adults in each country.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump holds an approval rating of 39 per cent, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has an approval rating of just 24 per cent. Further down the list, French President Emmanuel Macron is among the lowest-ranked leaders, with an approval rating of 17 per cent and a disapproval rating of 75 per cent.
Morning Consult noted that all figures in the tracker represent a trailing seven-day simple moving average, capturing short-term trends in public sentiment. Modi’s net approval remains notably strong, with only 26 per cent of respondents expressing disapproval, a level significantly lower than that of most other leaders included in the survey.
This sustained lead follows a previous report from July 2025, which also showed the Prime Minister in a “dominant position” as the world’s most popular democratic leader with a “75 per cent approval rating.”
This latest result extends a trend observed in an earlier report from July 2025, which had also placed Modi in a dominant position as the world’s most popular democratic leader, then with a 75 per cent approval rating. At that time, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung followed with 59 per cent, while Argentine President Javier Milei held third place with 57 per cent.
