Elections, a major part of democracy, can reshape a country and its fate, as citizens of the state choose a political leader to represent them at national and international stages.
Last year, most of the global population participated in the democratic process, which resulted in some countries having a change in power while others chose to continue with the same leaders.
According to Morning Consult, recently world leaders who got elected or re-elected, including Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum, the US's Donald Trump, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have also secured top spots in the list of the most favored leaders.
In India, Modi was chosen to represent the country by its citizens for the third time in May 2024, and Sheinbaum became Mexico's first woman president in October.
Meanwhile, despite the disapproval of some, Trump was sworn in as the US president for his second term in January 2025.
The list mentioned is in accordance with the Morning Consult's January 2025 data; however, the political climate of the world has seen multiple conflicts and major decisions that would affect the current rating of the world leaders.
Here's a list of the top 10 global political leaders with the most approval ratings as of January 2025:
1. Narendra Modi
The prime minister of India has an approval percentage of 75, while 19% disapprove of his policies and 6% share no opinion.
2. Claudia Sheinbaum
The president of Mexico has secured the second spot with a 66% approval rating and 26% disapproval.
3. Javier Milei
Serving as the President of Argentina since December 2023, Milei has the third-highest approval rating, with 65%, and is known for having a strong media presence.
4. Karin Keller-Sutter
Joining the economically liberal Radical Party in 1987 at the age of 23, the president of the Swiss Confederation has been described as "too big to fail," with an approval rating of 56%.
She took the presidential seat in 2025 and has been a member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2019 and was the vice president of Switzerland in 2024.
5. Donald Trump
The President of the United States, with his conservative outlook on immigration and cutting down government funding for key campaigns, has been placed halfway down the list with an approval percentage of 52, while 10 percent do not share any opinion on the 47th president of the US.
From sixth to tenth, the political leaders included Anthony Albanese (Prime Minister of Australia), Dick Schoof (Prime Minister of the Netherlands), Donald Tusk (Prime Minister of Poland), Giorgia Meloni (Prime Minister of Italy), and Ulf Kristersson (Prime Minister of Sweden), respectively.
Conversely, among the least popular leaders is French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been witnessing approval ratings decline drastically, particularly after his controversial call for snap elections in 2024.
Along with that, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from Brazil has also seen his approval rating decline to 28%, down from 29% in April, indicating ongoing challenges in public perception.
