According to a global poll, Germany is the most admired country in the world, and by a long way. Germany was followed by the US, China and Russia in the rankings.

Love for Germany

According to a new global leadership poll, conducted by Gallup, Germany is the most admired country in the world for the third year in a row. The annual poll shows that Germany leads the ranking by a long way, with a 44 percent global approval ranking for 2019. The US (33 percent) comes in second, followed by China (32 percent) and Russia (30 percent).

“When you read the latest results in this report on how the world rates the leadership of major global powers, the leaders who presented the case for the most certainty did the best,” said Mohamed Younis, Gallup’s editor-in-chief. “Longtime German Chancellor Angela Merkel, loved or hated, has been one of the most predictable leaders in highly uncertain times in both Europe and the global order.”

Germany pulls ahead of the US

Despite topping the rankings for the past three years, Germany spent the majority of the last ten years in second place. During the Obama administration, from 2009 to 2017, the US was the most respected country apart from in 2011, when Germany just pipped the US to the top spot. However, under the Trump administration, the US’s approval ratings have fallen, particularly in Europe. In Germany, 78 percent of residents disapprove, while only 12 percent admire US leadership.