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Ranked The Countries That Trust News Most

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Ranked The Countries That Trust News Most and Least in 2026

Global trust in news has fallen to its lowest level recorded by the Reuters Institute, with major differences emerging between countries. Kenya and Nigeria recorded the highest levels of trust, while Hungary, Greece and Slovakia were among the markets with the lowest levels in 2026.

Trust in news is becoming an increasingly important issue as people consume information through traditional media, social networks, video platforms and artificial-intelligence tools.

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's Digital News Report 2026 surveyed nearly 100,000 people across 48 markets. Respondents were asked whether they believed they could trust most news most of the time.

Globally, 37% of respondents said they trust most news most of the time in 2026, down from 40% in each of the previous three years. The report says this is the lowest overall trust level recorded since the Reuters Institute began tracking the measure in 2015. Trust declined in 29 of the 48 markets surveyed.

Countries Where Trust in News Is Highest

African countries performed particularly strongly in the 2026 survey.

Top 10 markets by news trust

Rank Country/Market Trust in News
1 Kenya 68%
2 Nigeria 68%
3 Finland 63%
4 Denmark 55%
5 Norway 53%
6 Hong Kong 52%
7 Sweden 52%
8 Portugal 51%
9 South Africa 50%
10 Netherlands 49%

Kenya and Nigeria jointly recorded the highest level, at 68%. Finland was the highest-ranking European market at 63%, while Denmark, Norway and Sweden also recorded relatively high levels of trust.

South Africa was another African market in the global top 10, with half of respondents saying they trusted most news most of the time.

India Records 39% Trust

India recorded a 39% overall trust level in the 2026 Digital News Report.

The Reuters Institute places India 18th among the 48 markets included in the survey. Trust in India fell by four percentage points compared with the previous year, although trust in some established print publishers and public broadcasters remained relatively strong.

India's result is slightly above the global average of 37%.

The country's news environment is also changing rapidly as audiences increasingly use digital platforms, social networks and video-based services to discover news.

Countries With the Lowest Levels of News Trust

At the other end of the ranking, several European markets recorded particularly low levels of trust.

Bottom 10 markets by news trust

Rank Country/Market Trust in News
39 Argentina 26%
40 Colombia 25%
41 Taiwan 25%
42 United States 25%
43 Romania 23%
44 Serbia 22%
45 Bulgaria 21%
46 Slovakia 19%
47 Greece 18%
48 Hungary 17%

Hungary recorded the lowest level in the 48-market comparison, at 17%, followed by Greece at 18% and Slovakia at 19%.

The United States recorded 25%, meaning only one in four respondents in the survey said they trusted most news most of the time. The Reuters Institute reports that U.S. trust fell another five percentage points in 2026.

Why Is Trust in News Falling?

The Reuters Institute says there is no single explanation for the global decline.

One important change is the way people access news. Social media and video networks have become increasingly important sources of news. In 2026, 30% of people globally said social media and video networks were their main source of news, compared with 22% five years earlier.

The report also found that trust in news encountered through social media was lower than trust in news overall. Globally, only 22% said they trusted news on social media most of the time, while the figure for news from AI chatbots was 20%.

At the same time, concerns about misinformation are increasing. Around 62% of respondents globally said they were concerned about what is real and what is fake online, an increase of four percentage points from the previous year.

The Role of Political and Social Conditions

The report also connects changes in news trust with broader concerns about institutions and the information environment.

In some markets where trust fell sharply, the Reuters Institute points to factors including political instability, divisive elections and a more fragmented media environment. It also notes that attacks on news organisations and journalists can affect public confidence in journalism.

However, the report cautions against treating the decline as simply a problem caused by news organisations. Broader changes in institutional trust and the way people consume information also appear to play a role.

Traditional Media vs Social Media

The way people consume news is changing faster than the overall level of trust.

For the first time in the Reuters Institute's 2026 report, social media and video networks were, on average across the markets covered, more popular as news sources than both television and news websites or applications.

This creates a challenge for news organisations.

Readers may encounter a news story through a social-media post, short video, influencer, search engine or AI chatbot before they ever visit the original publisher's website.

That makes transparency, source attribution, corrections and clear editorial standards increasingly important for digital publishers.

What the 2026 Ranking Shows

The country comparison demonstrates that public confidence in journalism varies dramatically around the world.

Kenya and Nigeria recorded 68% trust, while Hungary recorded 17% — a difference of 51 percentage points between the highest and lowest markets.

The results also show that geography alone does not determine trust. Northern European countries such as Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden performed strongly, while several other European markets appeared near the bottom of the ranking.

The United States, despite having one of the world's largest and most influential media markets, recorded 25%.

India's 39% result places it above the global average but below several high-trust markets.

A Changing Global News Environment

The 2026 Digital News Report presents a news environment undergoing major changes.

People are consuming more news through third-party platforms, video networks and increasingly through AI tools. At the same time, overall trust in news has reached its lowest level in the Reuters Institute's historical series.

For publishers, the challenge is not simply reaching more people. Maintaining credibility, explaining where information comes from, correcting mistakes and providing original reporting can become increasingly important as audiences face a larger and more fragmented information environment.

Key Takeaways

  • Kenya and Nigeria: 68% trust in most news.

  • Finland: 63%, the highest among European markets.

  • India: 39%, compared with the 37% global average.

  • United States: 25%.

  • Greece: 18%.

  • Hungary: 17%, the lowest among the 48 markets.

  • Global average: 37%.

  • 62%: concerned about misinformation online.

  • 30%: say social media and video networks are their main source of news.

The figures are based on survey responses and should be understood as public perceptions of news trust, rather than an objective measurement of whether news in a particular country is accurate or inaccurate.

Source: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Digital News Report 2026.

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