NEW DELHI: Prime minister Narendra Modi is the number one global leader when it comes to citizens approving the development strategy of their respective countries, says a study by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.Modi, with 87.8% approval for his policies, comfortably pipped US President Barack Obama who is ranked 20th with 44.8%. The report is based on a survey of citizens across 30 nations on 10 influential leaders having a global impact.When the feedback from all 30 countries is put together, Modi comes number three in handling domestic and international affairs, only behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The popularity of Modi is greater than that of Jinping in 18 of the 30 nations where the survey took place.The study describes Modi as one of the four leaders who enjoy high levels of confidence in handling both domestic and international affairs. The other three on this ‘elite’ list are Merkel, Putin and Xi Jinping.