Sri Lanka gives India highest global rating: Pew Research report across 36 countries
Newswire: A new Pew Research Centre survey across 36 countries shows that India continues to receive a more positive than negative global perception, with Sri Lanka emerging as the country with the most positive perception of India.
The survey, conducted between February and May this year, covered more than 42,000 people. Across the countries surveyed, a median of 45% expressed a favourable view of India, while 41% held an unfavourable opinion.
Sri Lanka emerged as the country with the most positive perception of India, while Pakistan recorded the highest negative rating. In the United States, views remain almost evenly divided.
Sri Lanka gave India the strongest rating, with 79% of respondents expressing a favourable opinion. Only 11% viewed India negatively. Around 63% of Sri Lankans also identified India as a key ally for their country. The positive perception has improved significantly from 2024, when 65% of respondents in Sri Lanka had a favourable view of India.
The improved sentiment comes amid stronger India-Sri Lanka relations. After Sri Lanka faced a severe economic crisis and widespread unrest in 2022, India extended major support to the island nation. Its assistance included credit lines and financial aid worth more than $ 7.5 billion. The support has played an important role in the recent improvement in bilateral ties.
OSL take:
Sri Lanka’s strong and long standing relationship with India, coupled with its improving economic outlook, is creating an increasingly attractive environment for Indian businesses/investors seeking new opportunities. The latest Pew Research Centre survey, which found Sri Lanka to have the most positive perception of India among the 36 countries surveyed, underscores the strength of people-to-people and broader bilateral ties between the two countries. These positive relations provide a strong foundation for deeper economic and commercial engagement. For Indian businesses/investors, Sri Lanka offers business/investment opportunities across a wide range of sectors, including tourism, renewable energy, logistics, ports, infrastructure, manufacturing, information technology, financial services, healthcare and consumer industries. The country’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean also provides Indian companies with opportunities to use Sri Lanka as a regional gateway to international markets. With bilateral trade and investment ties continuing to expand and Sri Lanka pursuing economic recovery and greater private-sector participation, Indian investors are well positioned to benefit from the country’s emerging opportunities. Greater investment could also strengthen supply chains, create employment and further integrate the two economies. Given the close political, cultural and commercial relationship between the two countries, Sri Lanka presents Indian businesses with a market where familiarity, geographic proximity and growing demand can provide a strong platform for long-term investment.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20260819Z_2 |