How Much Do Countries Trust The United Nations?

Do you trust the United Nations (UN) in carrying out its objectives of maintaining peace and security, protecting human rights, and upholding international law?

Survey results from Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer Global Report show that some countries’ citizens believe strongly in the UN to “do the right thing,” while others are less trusting.

Ranked: 28 Countries Trust Levels in the United Nations in 2024

To gauge trust in the United Nations, Edelman surveyed more than 32,000 respondents between 28 countries in November 2023. Each country sample of 1,150 people is statistically significant and representative.

According to the results, respondents from Japan and Argentina had the least amount of trust in the UN when it came to “doing the right thing.”

Country	% who trust the UN to “Do the right thing”
🇯🇵 Japan	38%
🇦🇷 Argentina	38%
🇮🇹 Italy	48%
🇺🇸 U.S.	50%
🇪🇸 Spain	50%
🇮🇪 Ireland	50%
🇩🇪 Germany	50%
🇫🇷 France	51%
🇨🇴 Colombia	51%
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	52%
🇦🇺 Australia	52%
🇿🇦 South Africa	53%
🇨🇦 Canada	54%
🇰🇷 South Korea	56%
🇬🇧 UK	57%
🇲🇾 Malaysia	59%
🇧🇷 Brazil	59%
🇸🇬 Singapore	60%
🇳🇱 Netherlands	60%
🇲🇽 Mexico	61%
🇸🇪 Sweden	63%
🇮🇩 Indonesia	65%
🇦🇪 UAE	66%
🇳🇬 Nigeria	71%
🇹🇭 Thailand	75%
🇨🇳 China	76%
🇰🇪 Kenya	77%
🇮🇳 India	77%

Just 38% of Japanese and Argentinian people had faith in the UN, by far the lowest levels of trust. Only one other country was below the 50% trust mark: Italy at 48%.

Many major economies and G7 countries had trust levels hovering between 50–60%, including the U.S. and Germany at 50% and the UK at 57%.

Meanwhile, India and Kenya had the highest levels of trust in the UN at 77%, with China right behind at 76%. In general, African and Asian nations tended to have higher levels of trust in the UN, though there were exceptions like South Africa (53%) and South Korea (56%)

It’s also worth noting that views within countries can differ significantly. Separate data on this topic from Pew Research shows that public opinion of the UN is split along ideological lines. In the U.S., there’s a 45 percentage point difference, with more conservative respondents having significantly lower trust in the UN.