Who are the most hated people in the world in 2025?
People’s opinions change fast. In 2025 a handful of public figures — politicians, celebrities and business leaders — attracted sustained anger, outrage or controversy across social media, mainstream news and opinion polls. “Most hated” is a strong phrase: in journalism and reputation analysis it usually means highly polarizing or widely criticized rather than universally despised. Below you’ll find a curated Top 20 list based on public perception, major news coverage, and aggregated popular rankings published during 2025, followed by brief, neutral summaries explaining why each person drew negative attention. (This article is an opinion-style summary intended for SEO and informational use; it summarizes public sentiment and reporting rather than passing legal judgment.)
Snapshot: how this list was formed
This list collects names frequently appearing in 2025 popularity-poll rankings, viral lists and repeated news coverage. It focuses on living, public figures whose actions or roles generated consistent negative responses during 2025. Because “hate” is subjective and context-dependent, every short profile below notes the main reasons the person became a target of public anger — protests, high-profile decisions, repeated controversies, or large-scale media coverage.
Top 20 — Most Hated People in the World (2025)
Note: Entries are ordered to reflect broad visibility in 2025 debate and online rankings, not a scientific measure.
1. Vladimir Putin — Russia’s president remained the target of enormous global condemnation due to continuing military actions and geopolitical moves that triggered sanctions, protests, and intense media coverage.
2. Benjamin Netanyahu — As Israel’s political leader during prolonged conflict and contentious policies, Netanyahu drew heavy criticism internationally and domestically for decisions seen by many as escalating tensions.
3. Donald J. Trump — The former U.S. president continues to polarize heavily, drawing fierce opposition on political, legal and cultural grounds; his actions and rhetoric keep him at the center of public ire.
4. Sean “Diddy” Combs — High-profile lawsuits and allegations in 2024–2025 increased outrage and media scrutiny, moving him to the top of many “most disliked celebrity” lists.
5. Elon Musk — Musk’s business decisions, public statements and tumultuous management style (including contentious policy moves on social platforms) kept him a lightning rod for criticism in 2025.
6. Jeff Bezos — As a symbol of corporate power, labor disputes and wealth inequality, Bezos and other tech billionaires remained frequent targets of public frustration.
7. Mark Zuckerberg — Facebook/Meta’s ongoing controversies over content moderation, data policy and advertising continued to fuel anger toward Zuckerberg and his company.
8. Gautam Adani — Amid scrutiny over business practices and regulatory questions, Adani was listed among billionaires drawing heavy criticism in 2025 business coverage. Yahoo
9. Rupert Murdoch — As a media mogul associated with partisan outlets and editorial decisions that inflame public debate, Murdoch remained a polarizing figure.
10. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — A continued presence in tabloid cycles and polarizing public interviews and statements sustained a large audience of critics and supporters alike.
11. Taylor Swift — Though an immensely popular artist, Swift’s prominence and occasional cultural flashpoints in 2025 left her unusually polarizing for some audiences (appearing in crowd-sourced “most disliked” lists).
12. Volodymyr Zelensky — Ukraine’s wartime leader has many international supporters but also faces opposition and intense debate in certain regions and media narratives.
13. Jamie Dimon — As a banking leader, Dimon’s role in high-stakes financial coverage and executive decisions made him a frequent target in discussions of corporate responsibility.
14. Bill Gates — Gates’s public health work and philanthropic influence attract both praise and conspiracy-fueled criticism; in 2025 that criticism continued in certain online communities.
15. George Soros — Long a flashpoint for political attacks and conspiracy theories, Soros remained a figure many groups singled out for distrust in 2025.
16. Katy Perry — Celebrity decisions such as participation in high-profile luxury events (e.g., an expensive spaceflight in 2025) exposed her to criticism about privilege and tone-deafness. People.com
17. Taylor Lorenz / high-profile journalists (example grouping) — Certain journalists who cover hot-button cultural topics sometimes become lightning rods for online hatred; aggregated lists often include media personalities when controversy flares.
18. TBD (regional strongman or controversial leader) — Several national leaders with repressive policies or violent reputations generate intense hate within and outside their borders; these appear on regional lists and polls in 2025.
19. Controversial tech founders & financiers (group) — A cluster of CEOs and financiers (beyond the names already listed) repeatedly appear in “most disliked” lists because they represent modern economic grievances. Yahoo
20. Pop culture figures who sparked scandals in 2025 — High-visibility entertainers who became entangled in scandals, legal trouble, or widely-criticized projects made many short-term “most hated” lists during the year.
Why does a name appear on lists like this
There are recurring patterns that push a public figure onto “most hated” lists:
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Policy or action that causes visible harm (wars, crackdowns, or widely perceived unfair decisions).
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Legal trouble and allegations that attract sustained media attention.
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Symbolic blame — rich or powerful people become focal points for broader anger about inequality.
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Culture-war prominence — vocal positions on divisive social topics can galvanize both critics and defenders.
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Viral scandals — a misstep or an incident that spreads quickly across platforms and never fully disappears.
Because these drivers mix facts, emotions and media framing, the composition of these lists varies by region, political leaning and the platform running the poll. Aggregated journalist coverage and crowd-sourced rankings in 2025 repeatedly returned many of the names above.
Responsible framing: hatred vs. criticism
It’s important to separate widespread criticism from personal hatred. Many people included here are leaders whose policies hurt millions; others are cultural figures whose behavior offended or disappointed large audiences. This article intends to summarize public perception, not to validate or intensify hostility. If you’re writing evergreen content from this list, consider toning language (e.g., “most criticized” or “most controversial”) to reduce sensationalism and the risk of promoting harassment.
If you publish this on a website, pair the article with a neutral header image: a collage of anonymous silhouettes overlaid on a world map (avoid using a single person’s photo as a negative callout). If you’d like, I can create a royalty-free header image concept and alt text optimized for SEO (for example: “Silhouettes of controversial public figures against a muted global map — most hated people 2025”).