A recent Pew Research Center survey conducted between January and April 2025 in 24 nations shows that public opinion of India is more positive than negative, but not by a large margin. On average, about 47% of respondents express a favorable view of India, while 38% hold an unfavorable view. Another 13% say they don’t have an opinion.
Favorable views are especially strong in Kenya, the United Kingdom, and Israel, where six in ten or more people express positive opinions. India is also viewed favorably by majorities in Germany, Japan, Indonesia, and Nigeria. In contrast, sentiment is more negative in Turkey and Australia, where over half of respondents have an unfavorable view of India. Countries like Argentina and Brazil also lean more towards the negative side. In places such as the U.S. and South Korea, sentiment is split fairly evenly.
Compared with recent years, views of India have improved in several European countries. In South Africa, there has been a significant rise; nearly half of the population there now expresses favorable opinions, marking a record high. In some nations, however, India’s perception has slipped. For example, in South Korea public favorability has dropped noticeably, reaching its lowest point since comparable polling began.
The survey also reveals demographic patterns: in many countries, men tend to view India more favorably than women. Younger people generally hold more positive views in countries like the UK, Japan, Brazil, and the Netherlands, while older generations in the U.S. and Australia are more positive than younger ones. Political ideology also plays a role: in Nigeria, Australia, and South Africa, people who identify more with the political right tend to have more favorable views of India; in the U.S. and Mexico, the reverse is true.
