The global level of perceived corruption has worsened for the first time in ten years. According to Visual Capitalist's infographic based on the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, the global average CPI score has dropped to 42 out of 100.
The index ranks countries on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 means a very high level of corruption and 100 means the lowest perceived level. The assessment takes into account political, legal, economic, sociocultural, and security factors.
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Who is in the lead
The best results are traditionally shown by Nordic countries. Denmark leads the ranking with a score of 89 points. It is followed by Finland with 88 points, Norway with 81 points, Sweden with 80 points, and New Zealand with 81 points.
Countries with high scores also include: Singapore - 84 points, Australia - 76 points, Canada - 75 points, Uruguay - 73 points, Japan - 71 points.
The US showed its worst result
The United States ranked 29th with a score of 64 points. As noted in the infographic, this is the country's lowest score ever.
For comparison, the United Kingdom has 70 points, France - 66 points, Spain - 55 points, Italy - 53 points, Poland - 53 points, Ukraine - 36 points.
Where the situation is worst
The lowest scores are recorded in countries suffering from weak institutions, wars, political instability, and poor governance.
Among the worst-performing countries: Somalia - 9 points, South Sudan - 9 points, Syria - 12 points, Libya - 13 points, Yemen - 13 points, Sudan - 15 points, DR Congo - 20 points, Russia - 22 points, Iran - 23 points.
The number of top-performing countries has decreased
One of the key signals is the reduction in the number of countries with the highest scores. Ten years ago, 12 countries had more than 80 points, but in 2025, only five remain.
This indicates that even states with well-developed democratic institutions are facing increasing pressure on governance, transparency, and the rule of law.
Countries
