More than one in two feel their country needs to do more on its infrastructure needs

In the third Global Infrastructure Index people are more satisfied with their country’s infrastructure, but there is one in two that think greater work is needed.

Key findings:

• Overall ratings of infrastructure and of specific sectors have improved over the past 12 months according to the Ipsos/Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA) Global Infrastructure Index. 
• But across 32 countries, an average of 56% of citizens think their country is not doing enough to meet its infrastructure needs.  
• 68% agree that investing in infrastructure will create new jobs and boost the economy. 
• The Index finds considerable variation in sentiment and priorities across the world, between and within regions. 
• New housing supply is a top three infrastructure investment priority in half of the 32 countries covered by the survey. 
• Other top-ranking priorities are flood defences, water supply and sewerage, and solar energy. 

The latest Global Infrastructure Index finds a moderate improvement in citizens’ ratings of infrastructure around the world since the last survey in 2023.  

There is also a continued sense that further investment in infrastructure is necessary, that it will create jobs and boost the economy, and help to combat climate change. 

The survey - carried out in early Summer 2024 in 32 countries by Ipsos in collaboration with the Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA) - finds a majority in most countries, and a global country average of 68%, agree that investing in infrastructure will create new jobs and boost the economy.  

In most countries, a majority - 57% on average - think infrastructure can also make an important contribution to combating climate change.  

More than half of citizens. 56%, think their country is not doing enough to meet its infrastructure needs.  

They are mostly unsure about their country’s record of delivering national infrastructure projects – while 33% are positive and 26% are negative, 41% are neither positive nor negative or say they don’t know.

A higher proportion agree (40%) than disagree (26%) that spending should be increased to improve infrastructure even if it means higher taxes or costs for consumers, but 34% are unsure or say they don’t know.  

Some infrastructure sectors are rated better than others

Overall satisfaction with infrastructure has improved within most regions of the world including APAC and Europe, as well as in G7 countries.   

The global country average level of satisfaction with infrastructure overall is higher at 40% (up two points since 2023) than the average level of dissatisfaction at 27% (down three points), but many people are unsure with a third (33%) neither satisfied nor dissatisfied or answering don’t know. 

There is considerable variation in ratings of individual infrastructure sectors. Ratings range from a global country average of 72% for airports as very or fairly good, to an equivalent 32% for flood defences.

In all cases, ratings of sectors have improved since 2023 (when 31 countries were involved). Ratings of airports, rail infrastructure, renewable energy and EV infrastructure have improved the most, by four percentage points. 

On average, 42% rate the ten infrastructure sectors covered by the survey as being fairly or very poor, down slightly on 44% last year.  

The average positive rating has improved by a similar margin – three points – up from 47% in 2023 to 50% this year.  

There is considerable variation in sentiment between countries 

The survey finds a gap of 59 percentage points in overall levels of satisfaction with infrastructure across the 32 countries.  

As in 2023, citizens in Singapore, India, Indonesia and Netherlands are among the most positive, with Peru, Italy, Hungary and Romania among the most negative.  

There is a large range in terms of ratings of infrastructure sectors with Indonesia and Singapore vying for top spot for most sectors and a mix of LATAM and European countries having the lowest proportion of positive citizens. 

Citizens prioritise flood defences, water supply and sewerage, more than anything else, but this is not a uniform picture  

As in previous Global Infrastructure Index surveys, there is strong competition for the top infrastructure investment priorities.  

Solar energy had featured prominently in the past - chosen on average by 42% from a list of 14 sectors in 2023 – and while selections are down five points this year, it remains in the top four. It has been there with flood defences, water supply and sewerage and new housing supply for several years. 

There is some variation in infrastructure investment priorities among the 32 countries, (shown in the appended table): 

• Flood defences are the top priority (either jointly or on its own) in 12 countries: Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Türkiye.
• Water supply and sewerage is the top priority (either jointly or on its own) in eight countries: Argentina, Colombia, Great Britain, India, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and the U.S.  
• New housing supply is a top three priority in half, 16, of the countries involved. It is the top priority in Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and New Zealand.
• Solar energy infrastructure is a top priority (either jointly or on its own) in three countries – Poland, Singapore and Spain and features in the top three for a further 12 countries including Australia, Mexico, the Philippines and the U.S.
• Local roads is a top priority (either jointly or on its own) in three countries - Belgium, Hungary and India – and features in the top three for a further eight Australia, Canada, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Poland and the U.S.
• Pavements, footpaths and pedestrian areas feature in the top three in seven countries - Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Italy, Mexico and Peru.
• Rail infrastructure is a top three priority in France, Germany, Hungry, Netherlands, Romania and Spain, and a top priority in Sweden. 
• Motorways are in the top three in Belgium, Malaysia, New Zealand, Sweden and the U.S. and feature as the top priority in Romania. 
• Wind energy is a top three priority in Japan and Türkiye. 
• Digital infrastructure makes the top three in Indonesia and Malaysia. 

Also notable:  

• Digital infrastructure is just outside the top three in Germany.  
• Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure is just outside the top three in South Korea.  
• Cycle routes/lanes and facilities are just outside the top three in Netherlands.  
• Nuclear energy infrastructure is selected as a priority for investment by relatively high proportions of citizens in Philippines, Sweden and South Africa (each 30% or higher).  
• Airports are selected as a priority for investment by relatively high proportions of citizens in India, Malaysia, Peru and Philippines (each 25% or higher).

Technical note

These are the results of a 32-country survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform and, in India, on its IndiaBusplatform, between Friday, May 24 and Friday, June 7, 2024. For this survey, Ipsos interviewed a total of 23,530 adults aged 18 years and older in India, 18-74 in Canada, Republic of Ireland, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States, 20-74 in Thailand, 21-74 in Indonesia and Singapore, and 16-74 in all other countries.

The sample consists of approximately 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Türkiye.

The sample in India consists of approximately 2,200 individuals, of whom approximately 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face and 400 were interviewed online.

Samples in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the U.S. can be considered representative of their general adult populations under the age of 75. Samples in Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey are more urban, more educated, and/or more affluent than the general population. The survey results for these countries should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more “connected” segment of their population.

India’s sample represents a large subset of its urban population —social economic classes A, B and C in metros and tier 1-3 town classes across all four zones.

The data is weighted so that the composition of each country’s sample best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data. 

The Global Country Average” reflects the average result for all the countries and markets in which the survey was conducted. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country or market and is not intended to suggest a total result.

When percentages do not sum up to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1 percentage point more/less than the actual result, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses, or the exclusion of “don't know” or not stated responses.

The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll where N=1,000 being accurate to +/-3.5 percentage points and of where N=500 being accurate to +/-5.0 percentage points. For more information on Ipsos' use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website.

Previous editions

• Global Infrastructure Index 2023
• Global Infrastructure Index 2021