• Only 36% of Africans view Russia’s economic and political influence as positive, while 23% rate it negative, according to Afrobarometer.

• China leads global powers in perception with 62% positive ratings, followed by the United States (52%) and the European Union (50%).

• In 24 comparable countries, negative views of Russia rose by 6 percentage points, double the 3-point increase in positive views.

Only 36% of Africans consider Russia’s economic and political influence positive, while about 23% describe it as fairly or very negative, according to a report published on February 27, 2026 by pan-African survey research network Afrobarometer.

The report draws on surveys conducted in 2024 and 2025 among 50,961 respondents in 38 African countries across all sub-regions. Researchers weighted the data to ensure national representativeness. Researchers weighted all countries equally, rather than proportionally to population size, when calculating multi-country averages.

Russia records the lowest share of positive ratings among major global powers. China secures the highest proportion of positive assessments, with 62% of respondents describing its economic and political influence as positive. The United States follows with 52% positive ratings, ahead of the European Union at 50% and India at 39%.

The relatively low share of positive views on Russia partly reflects widespread neutrality or uncertainty. About 32% of respondents describe Moscow’s influence as “neither positive nor negative,” while another 32% state that they “don’t know” or decline to answer. The findings suggest that many Africans remain at an early stage in forming opinions about Russia’s renewed engagement on a continent where it played a significant role during the Cold War.

However, weak scores do not solely reflect unformed opinions. Among respondents who express a clear view, the ratio of positive to negative perceptions of Russia stands at only 1.5 to 1. This ratio remains significantly below China’s 3.5 and the United States’ 2.6.

The report also highlights wide national disparities. In Mali, 88% of respondents view Russia’s role positively. Cameroon records 60%, while Guinea-Bissau and Côte d’Ivoire each post 55%.

Non-Alignment

Conversely, fewer than one in six respondents express a positive view in four Southern African countries. Zambia records 15%, Lesotho records 14%, Eswatini records 14%, and Botswana records 13%. However, South Africa, which represents a major political and economic power in the region and a member of the BRICS group, posts 40%, which exceeds the continental average.

At the sub-regional level, Russia performs strongest in Central Africa with 50% positive opinions and in West Africa with 43%. Southern Africa records 27%, East Africa records 26%, and North Africa records 34%, reflecting more reserved attitudes. These variations illustrate the complex and uneven nature of Russia’s engagement across the continent.

Demographic differences appear less pronounced than national or regional gaps. Young people aged 18 to 35 express a more favorable view of Russia at 38%, compared with 30% among respondents aged over 55.

The surveys indicate that Russia’s growing engagement has not translated into stronger influence overall. Africans report greater awareness of Russia, yet satisfaction levels have not improved. Across 24 countries where researchers compare 2024–2025 surveys with those conducted between 2019 and 2021, more respondents now express an opinion. However, negative evaluations increase by 6 percentage points, while positive evaluations increase by only 3 points.

Nevertheless, certain Russian messages appear to resonate. Among respondents who have heard about Russia’s war in Ukraine, which represents 70% of those surveyed, 72% state that their country should remain neutral. Across all surveyed countries, only 22% prefer to choose a side. Among those, 14% favor Russia and 8% favor Ukraine. Mali stands as the only country where a majority, 72%, express strong support for Russia.

Walid Kéfi