Global consumer confidence remained broadly stable in May 2026, with India topping the 30-country ranking and Hungary recording the largest annual improvement of any surveyed market, while several major European economies posted some of their sharpest year-on-year declines, according to the latest Ipsos Global Consumer Confidence Index.
The index, conducted monthly on Ipsos’s Global Advisor online platform and first reported by LSEG as the Primary Consumer Sentiment Index, surveys more than 21,000 adults across 30 countries on their views of current and future economic conditions, personal finances, savings and confidence to make major investments. The overall 30-country composite stood at 47.4 in May 2026, while the legacy 20-country average came in at 45.7.
HUNGARY SURGES, GERMANY SLIDES
The most striking country-level movements in the May edition were at opposite ends of the European spectrum.
Hungary recorded a monthly gain of 7.4 points, the largest single-month improvement of any country in the survey, lifting its overall index to 48.1. On an annual basis, Hungary’s gain of 14.0 points compared with May 2025 was the biggest year-on-year improvement across all 30 countries tracked.
Germany, by contrast, suffered the steepest annual decline in the survey, falling 6.4 points over the past 12 months to reach an overall index of 40.7. France declined 2.7 points year-on-year to 39.3, leaving both countries among the weakest performers in the 30-country ranking.
Great Britain fell 4.3 points over the same period to 44.9, Ireland dropped 4.1 points to 46.6, Belgium declined 3.6 points to 41.9 and Spain lost 3.5 points to close at 46.6. The EU27 like-for-like index, based on Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands and Ireland, stood at 45.5 in May 2026, marginally below the global Legacy 20 average of 45.7.
ASIA-PACIFIC LEADS ALL REGIONS
The Asia-Pacific region posted the strongest performance globally, with a regional average of 51.4 across all surveyed countries.
India led the entire 30-country ranking with an overall index of 66.6, though Ipsos noted that India’s sample composition switched from a mixed methodology to online-only in April 2026, which may affect direct comparisons with prior periods. Malaysia and Indonesia each recorded 56.7, while Sweden was the strongest non-Asian market at 55.4.
Thailand posted a significant monthly gain of 3.4 points to reach 48.9, one of the more notable single-month improvements in the May edition. South Korea recorded an index of 46.6, with a one-year gain of 6.3 points, the second-largest annual improvement after Hungary.
Australia climbed 2.3 points month-on-month to 48.3.
NORTH AMERICA AND LATIN AMERICA
The United States posted an index of 49.6, a marginal monthly decline of 0.3 points and a one-year change of minus 0.3 points. Canada recorded 47.6, with a monthly gain of 2.0 points. North America’s regional average stood at 43.9.
Latin America showed sharp divergence. Brazil gained 3.1 points month-on-month to 52.3 and improved 3.7 points year-on-year. Mexico fell 3.0 points in a single month to 51.0 and declined 2.4 points annually. Colombia posted the largest monthly drop of any country in the survey, falling 4.6 points to 48.7. Argentina remained near the lower end of the regional range at 40.8, with a one-year decline of 6.8 points. Peru gained 4.4 points year-on-year to 47.2.
MIDDLE EAST-AFRICA: A LIMITED PICTURE
The Ipsos survey groups Israel, South Africa and Türkiye under a Middle East-Africa regional category, producing a composite of 43.9 in May 2026 — the lowest regional average in the survey. It is important to note, however, that this grouping covers only those three countries. No GCC states or the broader Middle East or Arab world is mentioned.
Within the three-country grouping, South Africa recorded 48.7, a monthly gain of 0.2 points and a one-year decline of 1.9 points. Israel came in at 47.4, down 0.5 points month-on-month but up 4.3 points year-on-year, one of the stronger annual improvements in the survey. Türkiye recorded the lowest overall index score of all 30 countries at 35.6, though it edged up 0.9 points from April and gained 0.6 points compared with May 2025.
GLOBAL SUB-INDICES
Across the 20 legacy countries, the Jobs Index was the strongest sub-index at 58.9, followed by the Expectations Index at 54.5, the Overall Index at 45.7, the Investment Index at 36.5 and the Current Index at 34.1. The gap between the Jobs Index and the Current Index suggests that while consumers globally feel relatively secure about employment, they remain cautious about present economic and financial conditions.
METHODOLOGY NOTE
The survey was conducted on Ipsos’s Global Advisor online platform with samples of 1,000 or more individuals in larger markets and 500 or more in smaller ones. Results for Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey reflect the views of more urban, educated and affluent segments rather than the general population. The global indices represent unweighted averages across surveyed countries and are not adjusted for population size.
