FAKE: Zelenskyi did not make the global leaders approval rating, while Putin ranked 2nd

Claims that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi did not make it into the global leaders approval rating by World of Statistics are being spread on social media. Instead, Putin allegedly took second place with 80% support from the Russian population.

However, this is fake. World of Statistics is an entertainment account, not an analytical company. The data used to compile the ranking is unreliable.

World of Statistics is not a sociological company but a social media profile that creates educational and entertainment content. The account does not conduct its own research but merely publishes statistical data collected from open sources. It also shares fabricated statistics — some of its posts are purely humorous. International fact-checkers have previously debunked data published by World of Statistics. Therefore, this account is not a reliable source of information.

World of Statistics listed the sources used to compile the global leaders’ approval rating: the American analytics company Morning Consult, the Gallup Institute for Public Opinion Research, and the Russian Public Opinion Research Center.

These sources — except for the Russian center — indeed publish global approval ratings of political figures. However, according to the Gallup Institute, the approval rating of Russia’s political leadership is 22%, not 80%. Morning Consult does not track Putin’s approval rating. None of these organizations analyze approval ratings for Ukraine, so it could not have been included in the World of Statistics ranking.

The Russian Public Opinion Research Center regularly publishes trust ratings for Russian politicians, including Putin. As of January 26, 2025, the trust level in the Russian president stood at 78%. Likely, due to the absence of surveys by other analytical centers, World of Statistics based Putin’s rating on this data. However, sociological research conducted in Russia is not objective — respondents may fear giving truthful answers due to fear of persecution. Additionally, this research center is a state-run organization, making it highly likely that its survey results are falsified.

We previously debunked the fake claim that Ukraine ranked last in Europe by IQ level.