“Globally, more people are satisfied with their freedom to choose what they do with their lives than were satisfied two decades ago, with gains driven largely by countries where those satisfied with this freedom were once in the minority. But the sentiment has waned in some places — particularly in established democracies, where such freedoms have long been taken for granted.

In 2025, a median of 82% of adults across 138 countries said they were satisfied with their freedom to choose what they do with their life, while 17% were dissatisfied. This is nominally the highest level of satisfaction on record, though perceptions have been relatively stable near 80% since 2017.

Satisfaction today is significantly higher than the 71% recorded at the start of this Gallup trend two decades ago. The low point of 65% was recorded two years later, in 2008, amid the onset of the global financial crisis.”

From Gallup.