August 2026: Global consumer confidence declines for first time in four months
Ipsos’ Global Consumer Confidence Index is down 0.7 point this month and sits at 48.4. After a period that saw the index rise for three consecutive months, it declined for the first time since April and is now in line with its reading from this time last year.
Sentiment is now more than one point lower than it was prior to the start of the Iran war and remains significantly lower than it was pre-war in 14 countries.
Among 30 economies measured, just three countries show significant gains in consumer sentiment, while seven countries show a notable decline. The Current, Investment, and Jobs sub-indices all declined this month, while the Expectations sub-index showed stability.
Based only on the “legacy 20 countries” tracked since March 2010, the Index would read at 46.4, a 1.1-point decrease from July.
Sentiment declined in Europe this month. Hungary (-3.5 points), Spain (-2.2 points), and Sweden (-2.0 points) are down significantly, while Ireland (+3.1 points) is the only European country to increase.
In contrast, consumer confidence is mixed in Latin America. Peru (+4.4 points) shows the largest increase among all countries, while Chile (-4.0 points) and Argentina (-2.8 points) both show significant declines.
The Global Consumer Confidence Index is the average of all surveyed countries’ Overall or “National” indices. This month’s installment is based on a monthly survey of more than 21,000 adults under the age of 75 from 30 countries conducted on Ipsos’ Global Advisor online platform. This survey was fielded between July 24 and August 7, 2026.
Consumer sentiment in 30 countries
Among the 30 countries, India (65.3) holds the highest National Index score. India is the only country this month to hold a National Index score of 60 or higher.
Ten other countries now show a National Index at or above the 50-point mark: Malaysia (57.6), Sweden (56.6), Peru (54.4), Indonesia (53.9), Brazil (53.4), Thailand (52.9), Singapore (52.9), Mexico (52.8), South Africa (50.1), and Colombia (50.1). In contrast, four countries now show a National Index below the 40-point mark: Japan (39.9), Argentina (39.0), Chile (38.1), and Türkiye (35.9).
Compared to 12 months ago, twelve countries now show a significant drop in consumer sentiment. In contrast, eight countries show a significant increase from August 2025, most of all in Hungary (+13.6 points) and Peru (+11.0 points).
Trends
Ipsos’ Global Consumer Confidence Index (based on all 30 countries surveyed) currently reads at 48.4. Based only on the “legacy 20 countries” tracked since March 2010, it would read at 46.4.
The Current sub-index, reflecting consumers’ perceptions of the economic climate and their current purchasing, jobs, and investment confidence, is down 0.8 point this month and now sits at 39.0. In total, four countries show a significant month-over-month gain (at least 2 points) in their Current sub-index, while eleven countries show a significant loss.
The Investment sub-index, indicative of consumers’ perception of the investment climate, is down 0.7 point this month and is now at 41.5. Four countries show a significant gain in their Investment sub-index this month, compared to ten countries that show a significant loss.
The Expectations sub-index, indicative of consumer expectations about future economic conditions, is stable (-0.4 point) this month and now sits at 56.6. Five countries show significant gains in their Expectations sub-index, while six countries show significant losses.
The Jobs sub-index, reflecting perceptions about jobs security and the jobs market, is down 0.7 point this month and sits at 57.7. Just two countries show significant gains in their Jobs sub-index, while eight countries show significant losses.
Of note, Hungary, Chile, and Argentina show significant losses (of at least 2 points) across all four sub-indices this month. In contrast, no countries show significant month-over-month gains across all four sub-indices.
