New Poll: Friedrich Merz Is The Most Unpopular World Leader
A new international survey puts Germany’s chancellor at the bottom, with just 19% approval.
Thursday, April 22
It’s not going well.
According to a new international survey, Friedrich Merz is now the most unpopular head of government among 24 democratically elected leaders worldwide. Just 19% of Germans say they are satisfied with his performance, and 76% said they were unhappy with him, placing him firmly at the bottom of the list.
The poll data, reported by Euronews, comes from the US-based polling institute Morning Consult, which regularly tracks global approval ratings. While many leaders are struggling, Merz stands out – and not just for low support, but for how quickly what little he had has collapsed. US President Donald Trump ranked 10th place – despite having initiated multiple wars in the last year – with just 57% disapproval. Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan came in ninth. Argentinian President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez were all more popular.
Even during his early years as an active politician in the early 2000s, Friedrich Merz was one of the most unpopular political figures in the Federal Republic
This isn't the first poll to rattle the Merz camp. Another recent survey from Forsa, commissioned by RTL, yielded similar results: 78% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with Merz's performance so far.
"Even during his early years as an active politician in the early 2000s, Friedrich Merz was one of the most unpopular political figures in the Federal Republic," Forsa's Manfred Güllner told Euronews.
Analysts point to dissatisfaction not only with his policies, but with his personal style, which has often been described as blunt, confrontational, and occasionally overconfident.
None of this is happening in a vacuum. Germany’s governing coalition has been beset by internal conflict, economic pressure, and a growing sense that it is failing to deliver on key promises. Meanwhile, the far-right AfD continues to gain ground in national polling, adding another layer of pressure to an already fragile political landscape.
In other words: it’s not just that people are unhappy – it’s that there’s not much agreement on what comes next.
