For much of his first term in office, President Joe Biden has not fared well in public opinion surveys. During his first three years as president, Biden had an average job approval rating of just 43% according to Gallup polling data — well below the 53% average among all U.S. presidents since 1938.
While notable from an American historical perspective, by global standards, Biden’s low approval ratings are by no means unique. In countries around the world, democratically elected leaders are facing a crisis in public confidence. In many cases, dissatisfaction is far more widespread than it is in the United States.
Using polling data from public opinion research company Morning Consult, 24/7 Wall St. identified the most disliked democratic world leaders. We ranked the sitting heads of state in 22 countries by the share of the population who disapprove of the job they are doing. All polling data was collected from Dec. 6-12, 2023. Supplemental data on gross domestic product per capita, unemployment, government debt, and total population are from the World Bank and are for the most recent available year.
Among the heads of state on this list, disapproval ratings range from as low as 17% to nearly 80%. In eight countries on this list, more than two-thirds of the population disapprove of their elected leader.
While there is no single explanation for public sentiment within a given country, several broad trends help explain widespread dissatisfaction with government in many of the world’s democracies. According to a study published by the Pew Research Center, public discontent is often rooted in fast-paced social change, the emergence of extremist political views, falling confidence in public institutions, and economic uncertainty. (Here is a look at the most corrupt countries in the world.)
Notably, however, many of the least popular individuals on this list lead relatively wealthy, economically stable countries with high per capita GDP and low unemployment. (Here is a look at the world’s richest countries.)
Scroll below to see the most disliked world leaders.
22. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India
- Approval rating: 17% disapprove; 77% approve; 5% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $2,411
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP: N/A
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 7.3%
- Country population, 2022: 1,417,173,173
21. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico
- Approval rating: 30% disapprove; 66% approve; 4% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $11,497
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2021: 44.9%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 3.3%
- Country population, 2022: 127,504,125
19. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Australia
- Approval rating: 43% disapprove; 44% approve; 13% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $65,100
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2022: 58.0%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 3.7%
- Country population, 2022: 26,005,540
18. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Belgium
- Approval rating: 46% disapprove; 38% approve; 17% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $49,927
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2021: 108.1%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 5.6%
- Country population, 2022: 11,685,814
17. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil
- Approval rating: 47% disapprove; 46% approve; 7% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $8,918
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2022: 80.4%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 9.5%
- Country population, 2022: 215,313,498
16. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy
- Approval rating: 51% disapprove; 44% approve; 5% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $34,776
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP: N/A
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 8.1%
- Country population, 2022: 58,940,425
15. President Joe Biden, United States
- Approval rating: 54% disapprove; 38% approve; 8% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $76,330
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2022: 115.7%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 3.6%
- Country population, 2022: 333,287,557
14. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, Ireland
- Approval rating: 55% disapprove; 39% approve; 6% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $103,983
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2021: 64.2%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 4.4%
- Country population, 2022: 5,127,170
13. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Spain
- Approval rating: 56% disapprove; 39% approve; 5% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $29,675
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2021: 134.1%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 13.0%
- Country population, 2022: 47,778,340
12. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Sweden
- Approval rating: 57% disapprove; 31% approve; 13% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $56,374
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2021: 40.5%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 7.4%
- Country population, 2022: 10,486,941
10. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada
- Approval rating: 61% disapprove; 32% approve; 8% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $54,918
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2022: 62.1%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 5.2%
- Country population, 2022: 38,929,902
9. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, United Kingdom
- Approval rating: 64% disapprove; 26% approve; 10% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $46,125
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2021: 185.4%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 3.6%
- Country population, 2022: 66,971,395
8. Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Austria
- Approval rating: 68% disapprove; 26% approve; 7% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $52,085
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2021: 94.5%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 4.7%
- Country population, 2022: 9,041,851
7. President Emmanuel Macron, France
- Approval rating: 70% disapprove; 24% approve; 6% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $40,886
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2021: 116.5%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 7.4%
- Country population, 2022: 67,971,311
6. Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Netherlands
- Approval rating: 71% disapprove; 22% approve; 6% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $57,025
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP: N/A
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 3.5%
- Country population, 2022: 17,700,982
5. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway
- Approval rating: 72% disapprove; 22% approve; 6% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $106,177
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP: N/A
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 3.2%
- Country population, 2022: 5,457,127
4. President Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea
- Approval rating: 72% disapprove; 22% approve; 7% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $32,423
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2021: 49.0%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 2.8%
- Country population, 2022: 51,628,117
3. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany
- Approval rating: 72% disapprove; 23% approve; 5% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $48,718
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP: N/A
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 3.0%
- Country population, 2022: 83,797,985
2. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Japan
- Approval rating: 73% disapprove; 16% approve; 11% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $33,824
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP, 2021: 217.6%
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 2.6%
- Country population, 2022: 125,124,989
1. Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Czech Republic
- Approval rating: 79% disapprove; 15% approve; 6% no opinion
- National GDP per capita, 2022: $27,223
- Central gov’t debt as share of GDP: N/A
- Est. national unemployment rate, 2022: 2.4%
- Country population, 2022: 10,672,118
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