Trust in government in United States
United States: Trust in government was 28.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Trust in government in United States, 2007–2024
Source: OECD (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for trust in government in United States is 28.0%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
The figure is down 28.2% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trust in government in United States peaked at 47.5% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 28.0%, in 2024.
United States ranks 44th of 47 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.5% | 47.5% | 47.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 36.5% | 33.3% | 43.3% | 4 |
| 2020s | 33.5% | 28.0% | 39.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States
More social development data for United States
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 457,647 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 3,667 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Freedom of Association Index 0.913 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.826 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.571 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 2 (2025)
- Participatory Democracy Index 0.51 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.826 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trust in government in United States?
- Trust in government in United States was 28.0% in 2024, according to OECD (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest trust in government recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 47.5% in 2007.
- What is the lowest trust in government recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.0% in 2024.
- How does United States rank for trust in government?
- United States ranks 44th out of 47 countries with data for 2024.
- Is trust in government rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Trust in government. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of respondents replying "yes" to the question "In this country, do you have confidence in national government, or not?"