Mexico’s President Sheinbaum Loses Global Ranking

Mexico City — The global polling firm Morning Consult, which former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador frequently cited in his morning press conferences to showcase his status as one of the world’s most popular leaders, has delivered a direct blow to his successor. The disapproval rating for President Claudia Sheinbaum has nearly doubled over the course of a year.

From the Summit to Ninth Place

In November 2024, shortly after Sheinbaum took office, she held a 62 percent approval rating with 29 percent disapproval. That figure placed her second in the global ranking, behind only India’s Narendra Modi. At the time, the ruling Morena party celebrated, and the results were widely shared with the aim of going viral. Morning Consult became the favored benchmark for the administration to boast of a successful start to the new government.

One year later, the landscape has shifted. Sheinbaum now has a 41 percent approval rating and 53 percent disapproval—nearly double the disapproval from twelve months prior. She has fallen to ninth place in the global ranking. This is not a minor variation but a net loss of 24 percentage points in one year. The question now posed is whether international observers believe the political honeymoon is over.

Reason for the Decline?

The answer lies in domestic issues. Sheinbaum retains support for social programs but is losing ground on security, the economy, and the fight against corruption. These are the three issues where the public is least tolerant, a situation exemplified by the recent events in Michoacán.

The most recent survey from El Financiero, conducted in November 2025, shows that 59 percent of respondents believe the government is performing poorly on security, up from 40 percent in May. Disapproval of the government’s fight against organized crime reached 85 percent, up from 67 percent in May. Disapproval on combating corruption rose from 65 percent to 82 percent. On the economy, disapproval grew from 27 percent to 45 percent.

Although the government touts reductions in homicide rates, the public’s perception of insecurity has increased, rising from 64 percent to 68.2 percent. In politics, perception is paramount, and the current perception is one of uncertainty, not results.

A Halt to the Recall Motion

The drop in the polls coincides with a key political move. On November 10, Morena halted a reform that sought to move the presidential recall referendum to 2027 so it would coincide with the midterm elections. Officially, it was described as an act of prudence in the face of opposition criticism. Subsequently, Sheinbaum called for a broader debate, and the discussion was moved to February 2026.

Beyond the public discourse, some see another reason for the delay: the new numbers from Morning Consult. Subjecting the president to a binding exercise with a 53 percent disapproval rating would be a high-risk gamble, especially if the referendum were held on the same day Morena is seeking to retain its supermajority in Congress. Politics is also about calculation, and this time, the calculation changed. It remains to be seen if the numbers will improve by February.

From Pride to Silence

It is worth recalling that Morning Consult was, for years, the statistical jewel in López Obrador’s crown. On numerous occasions during his morning press conferences, he boasted of being among the world’s most popular leaders. Sheinbaum inherited that discourse and celebrated it at the start of her term. Today, no one in Morena mentions the ranking. The survey has gone from being a trophy to an uncomfortable reminder.