A post on X, shared by an account using the name “Mel Gibson,” asserts that “global polls show that Israel has become the most hated country in the world, with 98.75%.” The post does not specify which polls or provide a source. An examination of available research reveals several global surveys that rank Israel at the bottom of country perceptions, but none of the sources mention the exact 98.75% figure cited in the claim.
A May 2026 article from Middle East Monitor reports on the Nira Data 2026 Democracy and Country Perception research, which surveyed 46,667 respondents across 129 countries. It states that “Israel is now perceived more negatively than any other country in the world” and places it at the bottom of the Global Country Perceptions 2026 ranking. The article does not provide a specific percentage of negative views, focusing instead on the relative ranking.
A LinkedIn post from May 2026 references the same Nira Data survey but claims “Israel has become the most hated country at 97.55%.” This figure differs from the claim’s 98.75% and originates from a social media post rather than a primary report. Another major survey, by the Pew Research Center in June 2026, found a global median of 67% of adults across 36 countries hold unfavorable views of Israel, which is a substantial negative majority but far from the 98.75% stated.
A June 2026 Visual Capitalist analysis of the Nira Data survey shows Israel with the lowest net perception score globally at -24, followed by Afghanistan and North Korea at -19. This confirms Israel’s position as the most negatively viewed country in that dataset, but again does not report a 98.75% “hate” metric. The term “most hated” is also an interpretation; the surveys use phrases like “most disliked” or “most negatively perceived.”
The central claim is that Israel is the most hated country according to global polls—a point broadly supported by multiple surveys. However, the inclusion of the specific and unverified 98.75% percentage introduces a factual inaccuracy that misrepresents the available data. Because the percentage is a key element of the claim and cannot be corroborated, the overall assertion is misleading.
