Uzbekistan ranks third for the share of people expressing a high level of trust in science, at 63.8%, in a ranking based on Wellcome Global Monitor 2026 data.
Tajikistan was fourth at 60.7%. Both placed ahead of the United States, Britain and France. Finland, Germany and Sweden also made the top 10, while Russia was ranked 67th.
The Visual Capitalist infographic is based on a study that surveyed more than 140,000 people in 140 countries in 2025.
The ranking reflects respondents’ attitudes toward science, not countries’ scientific capacity or number of discoveries. In some countries, the share expressing a high level of trust was below 10%.
Researchers found no reliable evidence of a consistent link between trust in science and scientific literacy. They also found no clear link between trust and a country’s average scientific literacy or public spending on education.
According to Wellcome, 72% of respondents worldwide said in 2025 that they trust science “to some extent” or “very strongly,” down from 80% in 2020, a fall of eight percentage points. That global figure combines two levels of trust, whereas Uzbekistan’s 63.8% counts only those expressing a high level.
At a discussion organized by the Harvard Global Health Institute, participants said distrust of science may be linked to social inequality, institutional shortcomings, false information and political polarization. They cited clear communication of scientific findings and reliable public institutions as important to rebuilding trust.
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