Which Countries Are the Biggest Threats to World Peace?
Key Takeaways
- Russia ranks as the biggest threat to world peace across all four European countries surveyed, with concern highest in Poland.
- The United States ranks first in both Canada and Australia, two of America’s closest allies.
- Americans are more divided, with Iran ranking first and the U.S. itself nearly tied with Russia.
Perceptions of geopolitical threats differ sharply across countries, especially between Europe and North America.
This graphic visualizes data from a YouGov international survey conducted from June 17 to July 1, 2026. It surveyed 14,725 adults across seven countries, with roughly 2,000–2,300 respondents per country, asking which country they see as the biggest threat to world peace.
Europe Sees Russia as the Top Threat to Peace
Russia ranks as the biggest threat to world peace in every European country surveyed.
The result is strongest in Poland, where 59% of adults name Russia, the highest share for any country in the entire survey. Germany (42%), the UK (39%), and France (33%) follow.
The table below shows the share of respondents in each surveyed country naming each country as the biggest threat to world peace:
| Country Seen as Biggest Threat to World Peace | Share of Respondents by Surveyed Country (%) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 U.S. |
 Canada |
 Australia |
 France |
 UK |
 Germany |
 Poland |
|
 Russia |
16 | 15 | 14 | 33 | 39 | 42 | 59 |
| U.S. |
15 | 37 | 30 | 19 | 25 | 22 | 11 |
 Israel |
11 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 12 |
 Iran |
21 | 11 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
 China |
14 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
 North Korea |
6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Other countries/Don’t know | 17 | 15 | 10 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 11 |
The results echo our 2024 look at this question, when almost half of Britons named Russia the biggest threat to global peace.
Beyond the top-ranked countries, two other patterns stand out. China is named by just 2–3% of respondents across the four European countries, compared with 13% in Australia and 14% in the United States. Israel, meanwhile, has the narrowest range, drawing between 9% and 14% in all seven countries.
Americans See Iran, Russia, and Themselves as Threats
Americans are more divided. Iran is the most common answer at 21%, but no single country dominates: 16% say Russia, 15% name the U.S. itself, 14% say China, and 11% point to Israel.
For a measure of how countries rank based on conflict and safety rather than public perception, see the world’s most and least peaceful countries in 2026.
Canada and Australia Point to the United States
Two of America’s closest allies break sharply from the European pattern.
In Canada, 37% name the United States as the biggest threat to world peace, more than twice the 15% who choose Russia. Australia follows a similar pattern, with 30% naming the U.S. compared with 14% for Russia.
The U.S. also ranks second in the UK and Germany, at 25% and 22%, respectively. The findings echo broader shifts in how countries around the world view America, including less favorable views of the United States amid trade and tariff tensions.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about how shifts in global conflict affect defense spending, check out this graphic on Voronoi.
