India beats the US, UK and Japan on trust ranking leaderboard. Here's what the numbers say

India has emerged as one of the world's most trusted nations, ranking third in the 2026 Edelman Trust Index, according to findings highlighted by the Chinese Embassy in India. 

Sharing the rankings on social media platform X, Yu Jing, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, said that China and the United Arab Emirates jointly topped the list with a trust score of 80, while India followed closely with a score of 74. 

"The Trust Index is the average percentage trust in business, government, media and NGO. High trust acts as a vital lubricant and accelerator for progress. China (80), UAE (80), and India (74) lead the 2026 Trust Index ranking," Yu Jing wrote in the post. 

The rankings are based on the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer, one of the world's most widely cited annual surveys measuring public trust in institutions. The Trust Index represents the average level of trust people place in four key pillars of society — business, government, media and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). 

According to the data, China and the UAE shared the top position with scores of 80 each. India ranked third with 74 points, ahead of Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, which both scored 73. 

Among developed economies, the scores were notably lower. The Netherlands ranked sixth with a score of 58, followed by Australia at 54. The United States recorded 47 points, while the United Kingdom scored 44. Japan placed last among the ten countries listed, with a trust score of 38. 

 

What is the Edelman Trust Index? 

The Trust Index is a key metric published in the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, a global survey that measures public confidence in four major institutions: government, business, media, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). 

The index is calculated as the average percentage of respondents who say they trust these institutions to "do what is right." Countries are then ranked based on their overall trust score. 

According to Edelman, societies with higher trust levels tend to be better positioned to drive economic growth, attract investment, implement policy reforms, and navigate periods of social or geopolitical uncertainty. Conversely, low-trust societies often face greater challenges related to political polarisation, misinformation, and institutional credibility.