WASHINGTON, D.C. — When Gallup asked people around the world what single issue matters most to their countries in 2025, the answer was the same nearly everywhere: the economy.
In the first-ever global survey of national priorities, a median of 23% of adults across 107 countries named the economy as their country’s most important problem. That figure is more than double the proportion naming work, politics or safety, the next-most-cited topics.
Combined with the 3% who specifically cite affording food and shelter, economic concerns account for 26% of responses globally.
If this question sounds familiar, it’s because Gallup has been asking it for nearly a century in the United States.
George Gallup first asked Americans, "What do you think is the most important problem facing the country today?" about 90 years ago. Electoral outcomes have closely tracked which party Americans believed was better at addressing the most important problem. The preferred party for the top issue has won 17 of the 19 presidential elections in which the question was asked (it was not asked in 2000), going back to 1948. In 1980, the two parties tied; the measure was out of sync with the election outcome only in 1948.
The question's predictive power stems from its open-ended nature, asking people to answer in their own words. This simple framing offers valuable insight on what is breaking into a nation's collective psyche at any given time.
Perception Matters More Than Performance in Shaping National Economic Concerns
People living in lower-income countries, where meeting basic needs often overwhelms other concerns, are the most likely to say economic issues (the economy and affording food and shelter) are the biggest problem facing their country. A median of 38% in low-income countries name economic issues as their country’s biggest problem, nearly twice as high as the 21% in high-income countries.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) — the value of goods and services produced in a specified period — is a standard metric that countries, and their leaders, use to assess their progress. However, annual GDP growth bears little relation to whether people identify the economy as their country's top challenge.
Instead, there is a much stronger relationship between how people feel about their own household income and their perceptions of the economy as a national challenge.
This suggests people judge the health of the national economy by whether they can live well on what they earn, rather than by national growth headlines.
Younger People Worry Most About the National Economy
Concern about economic issues is present across all generations, but younger adults express the most concern. After controlling for other demographic and national factors, an average of 34% of people aged 15-34 say economic issues are the biggest problem facing their country, marginally ahead of the 33% of those aged 35-54, and significantly higher than the 30% of those 55 and older.
The gulf between young and old is widest in high-income countries. For example, in New Zealand, younger adults are much more likely than the oldest residents to cite the economy as their nation’s top problem (49% vs. 26%, respectively), with similar gaps appearing in the United Kingdom (+20 percentage points), Canada (+20), the United States (+19) and Australia (+17).
In the U.K. and Australia, the rate of economic concern is heightened among both age groups younger than 55, creating a clear divide between the older population and all others. This contrasts with the more linear decline across age groups seen in other countries.
These data highlight how younger people in many high-income countries — particularly Australia, New Zealand and Canada — may feel the economy is failing them, despite living in nations with high living standards overall.
Housing Crisis in High-Income Nations Looms
The specific economic problem of affording food or shelter is most prevalent in lower-income countries. Of the 10 countries that rank highest for concern about affording food or shelter, seven are in sub-Saharan Africa. But three high-income countries also appear in the list: Ireland (49%), Australia (29%) and Canada (16%).
All three countries face well-documented housing crises, with younger adults most likely to say that affording basic needs is the country’s biggest problem. And in all three, satisfaction with the availability of good, affordable housing has declined significantly this decade, falling to 25% across the board in 2025.
The scale of dissatisfaction with housing in these three countries shows how people’s struggles to afford basic needs like housing may color their perceptions of the national economy, even in prosperous nations.
Bottom Line
The first global measurement of what people perceive to be their country’s most important problem shows economic issues at the forefront across much of the world — from affording basic needs in lower-income countries to navigating high living costs in more prosperous nations.
These findings highlight a gap between the economic indicators leaders often prioritize and the financial pressures people feel in their daily lives. When people cannot afford housing and when younger adults feel locked out of prosperity, these become the problems against which leaders are judged.
Understanding public opinion remains the first step in solving many of the world’s challenges, as today’s attitudes help shape tomorrow’s decisions.
Learn more about The World’s Most Important Problem: What People Need Leaders to Hear in 2026, launched at the World Governments Summit.
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For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details. Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works.
