Sri Lanka is the only country in South Asia that its three largest neighbours all view more positively than negatively, according to Pew Research Center findings that drew coverage in Colombo this week.
Of the four countries Pew asked about — Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — only Sri Lanka received more favourable than unfavourable ratings from all three of the other publics surveyed. Around half of adults in each of the other nations viewed Sri Lanka positively, while a third or fewer viewed it negatively.
Indian views of Sri Lanka have warmed, rising six percentage points since Pew last asked the question in 2024, with the share holding a negative view unchanged.
A region of rivals
The goodwill Sri Lanka attracts stands out against sharp divisions elsewhere in the region.
India drew the widest spread of any country in the survey. While 79 per cent of Sri Lankans viewed India favourably, that fell to 42 per cent in Bangladesh — down 15 points since 2024 — and to 7 per cent in Pakistan. Asked to name their country’s most important ally, 63 per cent of Sri Lankans said India, and 70 per cent expressed confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In Pakistan, confidence in Modi stood at 4 per cent.
Views of Pakistan followed a similar split: 57 per cent favourable in Sri Lanka and 54 per cent in Bangladesh, against 8 per cent in India. Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi views of Pakistan have both climbed since 2024, from 44 and 40 per cent respectively. Bangladesh was viewed favourably by 66 per cent in Pakistan and 56 per cent in Sri Lanka, but by only a quarter of Indians, a 10-point drop.
Pew also found that better-educated respondents in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan held warmer views of Sri Lanka than less-educated ones, and that younger Indians rated Sri Lanka higher than older Indians did, at 54 per cent against 43 per cent.
Pew surveyed 3,566 people in India, 2,513 in Sri Lanka, 1,044 in Bangladesh and 1,039 in Pakistan between February 8 and May 7, 2026. Pakistan was not surveyed in the 2024 round, so no comparison is available there. The findings were published on August 13 and were picked up by Sri Lankan newsrooms on Thursday.
The regional report is a companion to Pew’s wider study of global attitudes toward India, which found that Sri Lanka gave India its highest favourability rating of 36 countries surveyed.
