Government
Trust in Government by Country 2025
% of Citizens Who Trust in Government OECD
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
5 Countries with the Most Trust in Government
Country | % of Citizens Who Trust in Government OECD 2023↓ | |
|---|---|---|
 | Switzerland | 82.41% |
 | Luxembourg | 80.81% |
 | Finland | 75.85% |
 | Ireland | 62.87% |
 | Norway | 61.24% |
 | Denmark | 59.93% |
 | Germany | 59.6% |
 | Sweden | 58.47% |
 | Mexico | 58.23% |
 | Costa Rica | 56.69% |
 | Belgium | 54.06% |
 | Estonia | 53.25% |
 | New Zealand | 52.11% |
 | Australia | 51.9% |
 | Portugal | 51.8% |
 | Canada | 51.05% |
 | Iceland | 48.62% |
 | Turkey | 47.29% |
 | Netherlands | 47.17% |
 | Austria | 47.1% |
 | Slovenia | 46.14% |
 | Israel | 45.52% |
 | France | 44.06% |
 | Italy | 42.57% |
 | Japan | 42.22% |
 | Lithuania | 41.13% |
 | Hungary | 40.98% |
 | Spain | 38.82% |
 | Poland | 38.29% |
 | Czechia | 37.39% |
 | United Kingdom | 33.86% |
 | Chile | 32.94% |
 | Greece | 32.17% |
 | Latvia | 31.8% |
 | United States | 30.93% |
 | Colombia | 30.06% |
 | Slovakia | 22% |
- OECD Trust in Government scores represent the percentage of people in each OECD country who reported having confidence in their national government. Data was collected during various years from 2019-2023.
- The ETB (Edelman Trust Barometer) Index represents the average level of trust each country’s residents have in four key institutions: their government, business, media, and NGOs (non-governmental organizations). ETB scores range from 0-100, with higher scores indicating a greater level of trust.
The OECD poll is a global survey that looks at how much people trust their governments, giving insight into how citizens feel about leadership, fairness, and public services in different countries. The most recent OECD poll was conducted in 2023. Trust in government in this poll means respondents said they have trust in their country’s national government. These stats are simply estimates based on the respondents’ answers to the survey question.
Switzerland ranks highest in trust in government by country. According to the most recent OECD data, 82.41% of Swiss citizens have trust in their government. It is worth noting that the margin by which this nation dominates this list is not large. The country with the second-highest amount of trust in the government – Luxembourg – is only about 1.5% behind Switzerland.
Luxembourg is #2 in Trust in Government
The nation that ranks second on this list is the country of Luxembourg. The most recent statistics indicate that 80.81% of the citizens of Luxembourg trust their government. It is notable that the top eight countries on this list are in western Europe.
Finland Has The Third-Highest Amount of Trust in Government
The country of Finland ranks third on the list of trust in government by country. The poll estimates that 75.85% of Finnish citizens trust their national government. The high numbers for Scandinavian countries on this list are understandable, given that Scandinavian countries typically rank very highly in terms of overall quality of life. Citizens of countries with a higher quality of life naturally tend to have greater trust in their national governments. That said, Ireland, placing fourth, is about 13 points behind Finland in trust in government, with an estimate of 62.87%.
Where Does the United States Rank in Trust in Government?
The United States is well-known for many of its citizens being distrustful of the national government. The estimates largely support this notion. Americans have 30.93% trust in their government, according to the latest data – quite a drop from the 46.5% in 2020.
It is possible that the amount of trust in the government varies significantly among people with different political beliefs. However, the survey did not include any questions about people’s political beliefs, so it is impossible to figure out for sure. In terms of trust in the national government, the United States ranks below countries such as Estonia, Russia, and Turkey.
