Where Do People Trust Each Other the Most?
Key Takeaways
- India leads 31 countries in trust toward fellow citizens, with 53% considering ordinary people trustworthy.
- Argentina (46%) and Mexico (45%) rank second and third, ahead of every European country surveyed.
- Japan ranks last at 16%, although 64% of respondents selected the middle of the trust scale rather than expressing outright distrust.
How much do people trust the others around them?
A new international survey reveals some surprising differences, with several Latin American countries ranking near the top and wealthy Asian economies appearing near the bottom.
The results also highlight an important distinction: people who don’t consider others trustworthy aren’t necessarily distrustful of them. In many countries, a large share of respondents fall somewhere in the middle.
This graphic ranks 31 countries by the share of people who consider their fellow citizens trustworthy, using data from the Ipsos Global Trustworthiness Index 2026. The survey covered 23,537 online adults between June 19 and July 3, 2026.
India Leads the World in Trust Toward Fellow Citizens
India tops the rankings, with 53% of respondents saying their fellow citizens are trustworthy.
| Rank | Country | Trustworthy (%) | Untrustworthy (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 53 | 21 |
| 2 | Argentina | 46 | 15 |
| 3 | Mexico | 45 | 17 |
| 4 | Spain | 41 | 13 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 40 | 13 |
| 5 | Ireland | 40 | 18 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 39 | 14 |
| 8 | United States | 37 | 16 |
| 8 | Chile | 37 | 21 |
| 10 | Indonesia | 36 | 10 |
| 10 | France | 36 | 13 |
| 12 | Poland | 35 | 17 |
| 12 | Australia | 35 | 16 |
| 12 | Canada | 35 | 14 |
| 15 | Colombia | 34 | 22 |
| 15 | Great Britain | 34 | 14 |
| 15 | South Africa | 34 | 23 |
| 18 | Peru | 33 | 22 |
| 19 | Malaysia | 32 | 17 |
| 19 | Belgium | 32 | 16 |
| 19 | Germany | 32 | 13 |
| 22 | Romania | 30 | 22 |
| 23 | Italy | 29 | 22 |
| 24 | Thailand | 28 | 14 |
| 24 | Brazil | 28 | 26 |
| 24 | Sweden | 28 | 20 |
| 27 | South Korea | 25 | 19 |
| 28 | Singapore | 24 | 18 |
| 29 | Türkiye | 23 | 33 |
| 30 | Hungary | 20 | 24 |
| 31 | Japan | 16 | 20 |
Family ties and close-knit communities may provide some context for this result. Previous research has found that Indians place significantly more trust in family members and neighbors than in strangers, although this does not necessarily explain perceptions of fellow citizens more broadly.
India’s high ranking is also consistent with earlier findings. In 2022, an Ipsos survey found that 56% of Indians considered their fellow citizens trustworthy, placing the country among the global leaders.
However, the results come with a caveat: Ipsos’ online surveys in India tend to skew toward more urban, educated, and affluent respondents, meaning the findings may not fully reflect the broader population.
Beyond India, Latin American countries also perform strongly. Chile joins Argentina and Mexico in the top 10, while Colombia and Peru sit near the middle of the rankings.
Japan Ranks Last, But Most Respondents Are Undecided
Japan sits at the bottom of the trustworthiness ranking, but its results tell a more nuanced story.
Just 16% of Japanese respondents consider ordinary people trustworthy, while 20% consider them untrustworthy. Another 64% selected the middle of the five-point scale, the highest share among all 31 countries.
South Korea and Singapore also rank near the bottom, with trust levels of 25% and 24%, respectively. Both countries have large shares of respondents selecting the middle category, suggesting that lower trust scores do not necessarily translate into widespread distrust.
Türkiye presents a different picture. It has the highest outright distrust rate in the survey at 33%, exceeding the 23% who consider fellow citizens trustworthy.
Political and social divisions may provide some context. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 77% of Turkish adults perceived strong conflicts between supporters of different political parties, while 59% saw major divisions between ethnic groups. These findings suggest a divided social environment, although they do not establish a direct link to interpersonal trust.
Twice as Many People Trust Others Than Distrust Them
Despite the differences between countries, trust outweighs distrust across the survey overall.
On average, 34% of respondents across the 31 countries consider ordinary people trustworthy, compared with 18% who find them untrustworthy. Türkiye, Hungary, and Japan are the only three countries where distrust exceeds trust.
However, the middle of the five-point scale plays an important role in these results. In many countries, the largest group of respondents expresses neither trust nor distrust.
Indonesia illustrates this distinction. Although it ranks 10th for trustworthiness at 36%, it has the lowest outright distrust rate in the survey, at just 10%.
This highlights why a country’s position in the trustworthiness ranking does not necessarily reflect how distrustful its population is.
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