---
title: "5. Spread of infectious diseases as a threat"
description: "A 60% median across 25 nations say the spread of infectious diseases is a major threat to their country. In many places, the share holding this view has fallen since 2022."
date: "2025-08-19"
authors:
  - name: "Jacob Poushter"
    job_title: "Associate Director, Global Attitudes Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/jacob-poushter/"
  - name: "Moira Fagan"
    job_title: "Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/moira-fagan/"
  - name: "Maria Smerkovich"
    job_title: "Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/maria-smerkovich/"
  - name: "Andrew Prozorovsky"
    job_title: "Research Assistant"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/andrew-prozorovsky/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/08/19/spread-of-infectious-diseases-as-a-threat/"
categories:
  - "Environment & Climate"
  - "Global Economy & Trade"
  - "Global Health"
  - "International Issues"
  - "International Terrorism"
  - "Misinformation Online"
datasets:
  - name: "Spring 2025 Survey Data"
    url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/dataset/spring-2025-survey-data/"
---

# 5. Spread of infectious diseases as a threat

- A median of 60% of adults across 25 nations say the spread of infectious diseases is a major threat to their country. A median of 30% say this is a minor threat, and 5% say it is not a threat.

- Concern about the spread of infectious diseases is generally higher in middle-income countries than high-income ones. A median of 85% across nine middle-income countries say this is a major threat, while a much smaller median share (53%) say this across 16 high-income countries. (Read [Appendix A](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/08/19/appendix-a-economic-categorization-of-high-and-middle-income-countries/) for more information on how we classify high- and middle-income countries.)

[![A bar chart showing that 6 in 10 across surveyed countries say infectious diseases are a major threat](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/pg_2025.08.19_global-threats_5_01.png?w=310)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=272532)

In 16 of the 25 countries surveyed, majorities believe the spread of infectious diseases poses a major threat. This is the case in all nine middle-income countries included in the survey, but also in several high-income countries: France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Korea and Spain.

#### Views over time

The share of people who say the spread of diseases poses a major threat has decreased since 2022 across nearly all the high-income countries included in the survey.

[![A bar chart showing that People in middle-income countries are more likely to see spread of infectious diseases as a major threat](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/pg_2025.08.19_global-threats_5_02.png?w=310)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=272534)

For example, 28% of Germans now view the spread of infectious diseases as a major threat to their country, down from 49% in 2022. In 2020, during the [COVID-19 pandemic](https://www.pewresearch.org/topic/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/), an even larger share of Germans (55%) held this view.

[![A table showing that Spread of infectious diseases seen as less of a major threat today than during COVID-19](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/pg_2025.08.19_global-threats_5_03.png?w=310)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=272553)

#### Views by gender

[![A dot plot showing that In many counties, women are more likely than men to see spread of infectious diseases as a major threat ](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/pg_2025.08.19_global-threats_5_04.png?w=420)](https://www.pewresearch.org/?attachment_id=272533)

In 10 countries, women are more likely than men to say the spread of infectious diseases is a major threat to their nation.

In Sweden, for example, women are 12 points more likely than men to see this as a major threat (39% vs. 27%).

Gender differences also appear in Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Spain and the U.S.

---

**Next:** [Appendix A: Economic categorization of high- and middle-income countries](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/08/19/appendix-a-economic-categorization-of-high-and-middle-income-countries-2.md)