Credit: The Gallup Organization

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Since President Barack Obama took office in 2009, the image of the U.S. has been relatively strong worldwide. Approval ratings of U.S. leadership have not yet returned to the high levels observed when he first took office (49%), but in most years, they have been higher than the ratings for other major global powers — several of whom have had similar continuity in their leadership.

The same is true as Obama prepares to leave office. For the third consecutive year, the leadership of the U.S. earns the highest approval ratings among five major global powers. Median approval of U.S. leadership across 132 countries and areas in 2015 is 45% — unchanged from 2014. The U.S. narrowly tops Germany, which has a median approval rating of 43%. The EU follows closely behind with a rating of 39%.

A sizable gap remains between ratings of the U.S., Germany and the EU and ratings of the leadership of China and Russia. Median approval of China’s leadership has been […]