This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Marcus Lu, reveals the most optimistic countries based on how their populations are feeling about 2025, relative to 2024.
Results are based on the Ipsos Predictions Survey 2025, a 33-country study which looks at people’s expectations and predictions for the year ahead.
Overall, a majority of people (71%) believe that 2025 will be a better year than 2024. According to Ipsos, optimism levels have fluctuated between 75% to 80% over the past decade.
Data and Methodology
To gather these results, Ipsos interviewed 23,721 adults from 33 countries. Respondents were asked to agree or disagree with the following statement: I am optimistic that 2025 will be a better year for me than it was in 2024.
The data we used to create this graphic is also listed below:
| Country | Agree (%) | Disagree (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 90% | 10% |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | 88% | 12% |
| 🇨🇳 China | 87% | 13% |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | 87% | 14% |
| 🇵🇪 Peru | 85% | 15% |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 84% | 16% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | 84% | 16% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | 81% | 19% |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | 79% | 21% |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | 79% | 21% |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 79% | 21% |
| 🇨🇱 Chile | 79% | 21% |
| 🇮🇳 India | 76% | 24% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 72% | 28% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 72% | 28% |
| 🇭🇺 Hungary | 72% | 28% |
| 🌍 Sample Average | 71% | 29% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 71% | 29% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 71% | 29% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 70% | 30% |
| 🇷🇴 Romania | 70% | 30% |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 69% | 31% |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 69% | 31% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 67% | 33% |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 66% | 34% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 66% | 34% |
| 🇬🇧 Great Britain | 61% | 39% |
| 🇹🇷 Türkiye | 59% | 41% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 58% | 42% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 56% | 44% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | 56% | 44% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | 51% | 49% |
| 🇫🇷 France | 50% | 50% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 38% | 63% |
Most Optimistic Countries
Based on Ipsos’ survey, the most optimistic country is Indonesia (90% agree). We can look at other parts of the Ipsos Predictions Survey to gain some insight into why this is.
For example, an overwhelming majority of Indonesians believe that their physical and mental health will improve in 2025 (90% and 92% respectively).
Indonesians are also feeling good about technology and the economy. When asked whether artificial intelligence will create new jobs in their country, 74% of Indonesians agreed (second only to China, where 77% of people agreed).
Least Optimistic Countries
At the other end of the scale, Japan firmly stands out as the least optimistic country among the group. 63% of Japanese respondents disagreed that 2025 would be better than 2024.
Again, other parts of the survey may shed light on this result. For starters, just 38% of respondents believe their mental health will improve in 2025 (compare that to Indonesia’s 92%).
Furthermore, just 28% of Japanese believe that the global economy will be stronger in 2025—significantly lower than the global average of 51%.
If you enjoyed this post, check out this map graphic showing global happiness levels in 2024.
