About half of Israeli respondents identified Iran as the greatest threat to their country, while 17% said Hamas, according to a Pew Research Center survey published in July 2025, which offered a comparative look at global threat perceptions.
Other countries, including the United States, China, and Russia, were not cited as significant threats by substantial portions of the Israeli public.
In contrast, 43% of Turks said Israel is the country's greatest threat, followed by 30% who named the US.
Among the 25 countries surveyed, Turkey stood out for naming Israel as its top threat - a position not observed elsewhere in the study.
The Pew report noted that China, Russia, and the US dominated global perceptions of external threats, consistently ranking among the top concerns in most countries surveyed. For example, Americans overwhelmingly cited China as the top threat, while Canadians named the US.
Russia remains most cited threat by European nations
In Europe, Russia remained the most commonly cited threat, particularly in countries such as Poland and Sweden.
In the Asia-Pacific region, regional dynamics shaped perceptions. According to the survey, roughly half of Australians and Japanese said China is the greatest threat to their country, while in India and Pakistan, it topped the list. In South Korea, 40% named North Korea as their principal threat.
Across sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, the US emerged as a frequent concern, with large shares of South Africans, Kenyans, Nigerians, Mexicans, Brazilians, and Argentinians citing Washington as a leading threat.
Among European respondents, Russia was primarily seen as a national security threat, while the US was generally regarded more as an economic threat.
Lastly, the survey revealed that perspectives on China varied. Australians and South Koreans tended to view China as both an economic and security threat roughly equally, whereas Japanese respondents were more inclined to see China primarily as a security risk.