WASHINGTON (Realist English). The Gallup research center has released its global report “The World’s Most Important Problem: What People Need Leaders to Hear in 2026,” based on surveys conducted in 107 countries.
The main finding: people around the world are most concerned about their nation’s economy. Work and employment, as well as politics and governance, also rank among the top three problems.
The data were presented at the World Governments Summit in Dubai.
12 Categories of Problems: Economy Leads
Respondents were asked an open-ended question: “According to you, what is the most important problem your country is facing currently?” All answers were grouped into 12 broad categories. Median percentages across 107 countries:
- Economy (living standards, prices, wages) — 23%
- Work and employment (unemployment, quality of jobs) — 10%
- Politics and government — 8%
- Safety and security (crime, war, violence) — 7%
- Food and shelter — 3%
- Social issues — 3%
- Environment and climate — 3%
- Healthcare — 3%
- Education — 2%
- Immigration and infrastructure — 1% each
- Media — less than 1%
Only 1% of respondents said their country faces no problems, while 4% declined to answer or said they didn’t know.
Regional Differences
The economy ranks first in every region except Northern America (the U.S. and Canada), where politics is mentioned most often (23%). In the Asia-Pacific region and Europe, political dissatisfaction ranks second. In sub-Saharan Africa, the former Soviet states and the Middle East and North Africa, work ranks second. In Latin America, safety/security ranks second.
In low-income countries, 81% of respondents name one of the top five problems (economy, work, politics, security, food/shelter), compared with 65% in high-income countries. This confirms a “hierarchy of needs”: basic challenges dominate in poorer countries.
Economic Pressure: Youth and Women Suffer More
The economy is the top problem in 71 of 107 countries. In low-income countries, 38% name economic problems (including lack of food and shelter), in middle-income countries 31-36%, and in high-income countries 21%. Interestingly, the level of economic concern is not related to GDP growth rates. The decisive factor is subjective perception: those who say it is “difficult to live on their current household income” are much more likely to worry about the economy.
Who worries most about the economy?
- Youth aged 15-34 — 34% (compared with 30% among those over 55). In New Zealand, the gap reaches 24 percentage points; in the UK, Canada, the U.S. and Australia, around 20 points.
- Women — 35% (compared with 31% for men). In Niger, Myanmar, Egypt and other countries, the difference reaches 10-14 points.
- People with low wellbeing (“suffering”) — 36% (compared with 30% among the “thriving”).
A special case: the housing crisis — Ireland (49%), Australia (29%) and Canada (28%) are among the top 10 countries where people most often name the cost of food and shelter as a problem, alongside the poorest African nations. In these developed countries, satisfaction with affordable housing fell to 25% in 2025.
Employment Problems: Not Just About Unemployment
Work was named the top problem by 10% of adults worldwide. In low-income countries — 13%, in middle-income countries — 10-20%, in high-income countries — only 4%.
National unemployment rates correlate with concern, but do not fully explain it. Individual characteristics (gender, age, income) have almost no effect. More important:
- Among the unemployed, 17% named work as the top problem.
- Among the employed and those not in the workforce (retirees, students) — 10% each.
- Engaged employees worry about work in the economy almost as often as the disengaged (9% vs. 8%).
This suggests that people are concerned not so much about the lack of work as about the quality of jobs, low engagement (global engagement has fallen to 20%) and the lack of decent work.
Political Dissatisfaction: A Problem of Rich Countries
Globally, 8% name politics as the top problem, but in Northern America — 23%, in Europe — 15%, in Latin America — 10%. In high-income countries, this figure reaches 14%; in low-income countries — 5%. The higher a household’s income, the more often people criticize the government.
The key link is with trust in institutions (government, courts, honesty of elections, military, financial institutions). Among those who trust 4-5 institutions, only 8% name politics as the top problem. Among those who trust 0-1 institutions — already 15%. The gap is especially large in Hungary (26 points), Finland (21 points), the U.S. (20 points), the Czech Republic (19 points) and Canada (19 points).
Immigration concerns only 1% worldwide, but in the UK — 21%, in the Netherlands and Cyprus — 13% each, in Portugal and Malta — 12% each.
Social issues (discrimination, racism, poverty) particularly concern New Zealand (20%), Finland (18%), South Korea (15%), Germany (12%) and the U.S. (11%).
Security: Paramount in Conflict Zones
Globally, 7% named security as the top problem, but in countries with active conflicts, this figure soars:
- Ukraine — 83%
- Israel — 71%
- Cambodia — 71% (due to tensions with Thailand)
- Burkina Faso — 68%
- Ecuador — 56%
- Palestinian Authority — 55%
- Costa Rica — 50% (due to a sharp rise in drug-related crime)
In Ukraine and Israel, fewer than 10% mention any other problem. In countries not affected by war, security rarely takes the lead.
Conclusions for Leaders
People assess national progress through the prism of their own wellbeing: can they live well, have decent work, trust the authorities and feel safe. Macroeconomic indicators such as GDP growth alone do not reassure citizens.
Creating quality jobs, strengthening trust in institutions at the local level and ensuring physical security are what truly matter.
Gallup’s research shows that 90 years after George Gallup first asked Americans about the most important problems, the answers vary across countries, but the importance of listening remains unchanged.
