For the first time in Gallup's history of tracking ratings of world leaders, the majority of the world disapproves of Russia's leadership.
Approval dropped from 33% to 21% since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, 2022.
The "Rating World Leaders," report was published Tuesday by Gallup, which conducted surveys in 137 countries.
"Approval of Russia dropped in virtually every region of the world," the surveys found.
While most countries have condemned the invasion, some have abstained from directly criticizing it. Major players such as India and China have adopted strategically ambivalent positions.
High-income, Western-aligned democracies tended to give the highest disapproval ratings for Russia, with figures exceeding 90% in the U.S. (93%), Canada (91%), and 10 European countries — including Poland, one of Ukraine's staunchest allies in Europe, where 95% disapproved. In Ukraine itself, 96% disapproved in the Gallup survey.
Disapproval of Russia is less pronounced in Africa. Leaders in the region tried to avoid alienating either side in the conflict, Gallup observed. Many nations in sub-Saharan Africa are vulnerable to the food-security crisis that has resulted from the protracted conflict.
South Africa was one of 35 nations, 19 from Africa, to abstain in a United Nations vote last October to condemn Russia's planned referendums in territory that Russia had claimed to have taken over in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainians particularly approved of U.S. leadership, according to the Gallup survey. Approval of the U.S. is up 29 percentage points from the previous year to reach 66%.
The overall U.S. approval rating stood at 41% in 2022, a dip from 49%. Under former President Barack Obama in his second year, approval was 47%, and for former President Donald Trump, it was 31%.
Approval of the U.S. leadership rose in 11 countries, including Poland, Ukraine, Israel, and India but declined in other countries like Greece, Canada, the Netherlands, and Brazil.
U.S. leadership still enjoyed majority approval in 42 countries around the world.
Germany remained the top-rated global power for the sixth consecutive year.
China's approval rating, meanwhile, remained relatively flat at 28%, despite its "Russia-friendly" stance.
Results for the 2022 approval ratings are based on nationally representative, probability-based samples among the adult population, aged 15 and older, in 137 countries and areas throughout 2022. Interviews took place over the telephone and in person.
For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error ranges from ±1.2 to ±5.6 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
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