How The World Views China Vs The US In 2026

The United States and China are the world’s two preeminent superpowers, but views of them vary widely by country.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Gabriel Cohen, compares approval ratings for Beijing and Washington using survey results from more than 42,000 respondents across 36 countries.

The survey was conducted in February 2026 by the Pew Research Center.

China Now Leads in Global Favorability

Public opinion in many countries has shifted in China’s favor amid changes in U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy.

In 27 of the 36 countries surveyed, China received a higher approval rating than the United States. These include U.S. allies and neighbors such as Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

The following table lists 2026 approval ratings for China and the U.S. across all 36 countries surveyed.

Country	Approval (%) of U.S.	Approval (%) of China	China-U.S. Gap (%)
Pakistan	15	90	75
Malaysia	19	75	56
Palestine	9	57	48
Indonesia	29	72	43
Singapore	34	73	39
Thailand	36	69	33
Sri Lanka	42	72	30
Bangladesh	26	56	30
Turkey	13	43	30
Spain	30	54	24
Italy	31	51	20
Mexico	40	59	19
Greece	37	55	18
South Africa	35	52	17
Nigeria	63	78	15
Kenya	63	76	13
Chile	37	49	12
Canada	33	44	11
Peru	51	61	10
France	27	36	9
Netherlands	25	34	9
Sweden	19	27	8
Australia	24	31	7
Argentina	44	50	6
Germany	27	33	6
UK	41	46	5
Colombia	60	63	3
Brazil	47	46	-1
Ghana	68	64	-4
Hungary	58	53	-5
Poland	49	39	-10
Philippines	56	40	-16
South Korea	45	28	-17
India	45	23	-22
Japan	50	11	-39
Israel	81	19	-62

Pakistan has the largest favorability gap. China has a 90% approval rating among Pakistanis, compared with 15% for the United States, a difference of 75 percentage points.

After Pakistan, the largest gaps are found in Malaysia, Palestine, and Indonesia. In each of these Muslim-majority countries, a majority of respondents view China favorably, while fewer than one-third view the United States favorably.

U.S. Soft Power Abroad

In the Americas, respondents in every surveyed country except Brazil view China more favorably than the United States.

The results from the United States’ two direct neighbors are particularly notable. One-third of Canadians and 40% of Mexicans view the U.S. favorably, compared with 44% and 59%, respectively, for China. Both countries have faced heightened trade tensions with their shared neighbor.

U.S. allies farther from North America tend to view Washington more favorably. The U.S. receives its highest approval rating in Israel (81%), followed by Ghana (68%) and Kenya and Nigeria (63% each).

Several U.S. allies closer in proximity to China also favor Washington over Beijing, including India, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.

Europe’s Balancing Act

Across Europe, China receives higher approval ratings than the United States in every surveyed country except Poland. In Poland, 49% of respondents view the U.S. favorably, compared with 39% for China.

Perceptions of the United States have declined across much of the continent. Long-standing U.S. allies such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands now rate China more favorably.

Economic tensions, tariffs, and disputes involving Greenland may have contributed to weaker transatlantic sentiment. However, the Pew survey measures public opinion rather than the specific reasons behind these views.

To learn more about how the two superpowers compete through their diplomatic networks, read China Tops Global Diplomacy Index on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.