India remains one of the world’s most optimistic countries, standing firm at 4th place in the latest Ipsos What Worries the World poll in April 2025. According to the findings, of all the Indians polled, 62% said the country is going in the right direction—consistent with results from the last wave of surveys.
India’s optimism reflects a wider trend among a number of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) nations. Singapore tops the world optimism list at a whopping 85%, followed by Malaysia (70%) and Indonesia (67%). India is in fourth position at 62%, closely matched by Thailand and Argentina, both on 55%.
Amit Adarkar, Ipsos India CEO, provided insights into the results, referring to India’s strategic strengths and sound domestic fundamentals. “We have the global advantage of being geographically away from both Ukraine and Gaza, the epicentres of wars,” he added.
Adarkar underlined that India’s optimism is rooted deeply within its domestic dynamics, despite the increasing global uncertainty. But he warned that some emerging issues were not yet priced in the latest survey.
“This wave of the survey predates two significant developments — the announcement of reciprocal Trump-era tariffs, and the recent terror strike in Pahalgam. These events have heightened anxiety and fear among citizens which have not been captured in the current wave,” he noted. Adding that, “India being a strong economy and a resilient market, it will continue to stay on grid. But the unrest at the borders and the looming reciprocal tariffs by the Trump govt could lead to a strong impact on India’s fortunes.”
Globally, the survey shows a marked contrast between countries in the global south and developed economies like South Korea, France, and Peru, which registered high levels of pessimism. The divergence points to a growing confidence divide between emerging and developed markets.
The concern that brought optimistic and pessimistic countries together on one hand was inflation. In all the 29 nations covered by the survey — India was no exception.
In India alone, fear of increasing prices is likely to heighten with recent geopolitical developments. He also added that “with the terror strike in Pahalgam and India’s tough call, the citizens are likely to bear the brunt of these new developments, with increase in prices of essential commodities and slowdown in inbound travel of foreign tourists, impacting the economy.”
To address these growing pressures, Adarkar called on governments to focus on ground-level issues that directly impact citizens’ daily lives.
Survey Methodology
The Ipsos Global Advisor survey was conducted online and in-person across 29 countries between March 21 and April 4, 2025, covering 25,219 adults. In India, the sample comprised about 2,200 adults from urban socio-economic groups A, B, and C in metro cities and Tier 1–3 towns. The figures were weighted according to demographic allocations based on the most recent available census data.