Monday 14 / September / 2026
NEW DELHI: India continues to enjoy a more positive than negative image globally, with Sri Lanka recording the most favourable view of the country, according to a new Pew Research Center survey covering 36 countries.
The survey, conducted from February to May 2026 among more than 42,000 people, found that a median 45% of respondents across the countries surveyed expressed a favourable opinion of India, while 41% held an unfavourable view.
Sri Lanka recorded the strongest positive sentiment, with 79% of respondents viewing India favourably and only 11% negatively. The result marks a significant improvement from 2024, when 65% of Sri Lankan respondents had a favourable view of India. Around 63% also identified India as an important ally for Sri Lanka.
The improvement comes amid closer bilateral ties following Sri Lanka’s severe economic crisis in 2022. India provided substantial assistance to its neighbour during the crisis, including credit facilities and financial support worth more than $7.5 billion.
India’s image across South Asia, however, remains uneven. In Bangladesh, 42% expressed a favourable view compared with 51% who viewed India negatively. Relations have been strained by India’s decision to provide shelter to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who left Bangladesh in 2024 following a violent uprising.
Pakistan recorded by far the most negative assessment of India, with 91% of respondents holding an unfavourable view and just 7% expressing a favourable opinion.
The findings come against the backdrop of longstanding tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, which intensified following the May 2025 military confrontation and the subsequent diplomatic dispute over the Indus Waters Treaty.
India also received a largely negative assessment in Malaysia, where 58% of respondents held an unfavourable view. By contrast, several other Asian countries recorded favourable perceptions, including Japan at 55%, Singapore at 51%, Indonesia at 50%, the Philippines at 49% and Thailand at 55%.
Outside Asia, perceptions were more mixed. Only 15% of respondents in Turkey and 18% in the West Bank and East Jerusalem expressed favourable views of India. Australia also recorded a predominantly negative assessment, with 55% viewing India unfavourably.
In the United States, public opinion was almost evenly split. About 45% of Americans expressed a favourable view of India, while 50% held an unfavourable opinion. Pew noted that the favourable rating has declined from 51% in 2023 and is among the lowest levels recorded since 2008.
There was also a partisan divide in the US. About 50% of Democrats viewed India favourably, compared with 42% of Republicans.
Americans were similarly divided over India’s growing influence. While 30% said India’s global influence was increasing, 54% believed it had remained largely unchanged and 13% said it was declining.
The findings point to a clear regional variation in perceptions of India. While the country maintains strong support in several parts of Asia, views are more divided in other regions. Overall, however, India retains a net positive global image, with favourable views narrowly exceeding unfavourable ones across the 36 countries surveyed.
