Germany has the world's most narcissistic population, according to a global study that ranked the United States a distant 16th out of 53 countries surveyed.
Iraq placed second, followed by China, Nepal and South Korea. At the other end of the scale, Serbia recorded the lowest narcissism score, followed by Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands and Denmark.
Researchers analyzed responses from 45,800 people to see how narcissistic traits varied by nationality, age, gender and perceived social status. Across almost every culture studied, younger adults scored higher than older people, men scored higher than women, and people who considered themselves high-status showed more narcissism than those who placed themselves lower in society.
The most unexpected finding was that people in collectivistic cultures reported an inflated sense of self-importance, challenging the idea that narcissism is mainly cultivated in individualistic societies such as the US.
Admiration and rivalry
The study, conducted by Michigan State University, split grandiose narcissism into two forms: admiration and rivalry. Admiration covers self-enhancement, attention-seeking and the desire to impress others, and was measured partly through agreement with statements such as "I manage to be the center of attention with my outstanding contributions."
Rivalry represents the more antagonistic and defensive side of narcissism, including hostility, competition and the desire to defeat or undermine others. One statement used to assess it read: "I want my rivals to fail."
The researchers said admiration can bring positive short-term outcomes, including greater self-esteem, immediate popularity and dating success. Rivalry, by contrast, has been linked to fragile self-esteem, negative judgments from peers and conflict within relationships over the longer term.
Germany recorded the highest average score for overall narcissism and also led the world in rivalry, though it did not appear among the five highest-scoring countries for admiration.
Country rankings by trait
South Korea ranked second for rivalry, followed by Nepal, Iraq and Romania. Serbia recorded the lowest rivalry score, followed by Mexico, Colombia, Austria and South Africa.
Nigeria emerged as the global leader in admiration, ahead of Iraq, China, Nepal and Turkey. Norway recorded the lowest admiration score, followed by Denmark, Ireland, Russia and the UK.
How the study was conducted
The researchers drew on data from the International Collaboration on Social and Moral Psychology: COVID-19, a large international project originally designed to examine psychological factors connected to the pandemic. They excluded countries with fewer than 100 participants, along with respondents who did not fully complete the narcissism questionnaire.
That left 45,800 people from 53 countries, with national sample sizes ranging from 148 participants in Ecuador to 2,133 in Australia. The average participant was about 43 years old, and 52.1 percent of the sample was female.
Respondents rated six statements on a scale from zero, meaning they strongly disagreed, to ten, meaning they strongly agreed. They also placed themselves on a social ladder representing their perceived standing based on money, education and employment, with those at the top described as having the most money, education and best jobs.
Status, age and gender divides
Participants who placed themselves higher on that ladder consistently reported greater overall narcissism, admiration and rivalry. The authors said more narcissistic people typically see themselves as deserving special privileges and may feel driven to establish superiority over others, a desire that can translate into a rigid pursuit of leadership, fame and wealth.
Older adults reported lower levels of admiration and rivalry than younger participants, a pattern that emerged in nearly every country. The researchers suggested narcissistic traits might help younger adults establish their identities, assert their independence and pursue recognition or status, while older adults may shift priorities toward relationships, emotional balance and responsibilities that discourage self-centered behavior.
The authors cautioned that the study compared different age groups at a single point in time, so it cannot determine whether the same individuals become less narcissistic as they age or whether the pattern reflects generational differences.
Men recorded higher scores than women across every form of the trait measured. The researchers suggested societal expectations may encourage men to become more assertive, competitive and dominant, qualities that overlap with narcissism, while women may be encouraged to prioritize relationships and communal goals and may face greater social penalties for openly self-promotional behavior. The divide between men and women stayed largely consistent regardless of a country's wealth or whether its culture was individualistic or collectivistic.
Collectivism findings surprise researchers
Researchers had expected collectivistic countries, which emphasize group interests and social harmony, to suppress narcissistic behavior. Instead, residents of these societies reported greater overall narcissism and admiration, though collectivism was not associated with intense rivalry.
The authors proposed that people in these societies might use subtler self-enhancing behavior to navigate complex hierarchies and gain recognition from powerful group members, or promote their achievements as a way of elevating the group's standing, allowing narcissistic behavior to be framed as benefiting others. They cautioned that their findings reveal associations and do not prove that wealth, collectivism, youth or status causes narcissism.
