This year, 182 countries were assessed in the ranking. More than two-thirds of them again scored below 50 points, while the global average fell to a new low of 42.

The top five again included Denmark (89 out of 100), Finland (88), Singapore (84), and New Zealand (81). Luxembourg (78) declined compared to last year, losing three points, and its place among the leaders was taken by Norway (81).

As in 2024, the bottom of the ranking is occupied by South Sudan (9 out of 100), Somalia (9), Venezuela (10), Yemen (13), Libya (13), and Eritrea (13). At the same time, countries such as Syria (15) and Equatorial Guinea (15) moved up several positions from the very bottom this year.

Overall, TI notes that although the level of perceived corruption has markedly decreased in 31 countries since 2012, in the remaining states the situation has either stayed largely the same or worsened over the same period.

According to TI experts, the findings reveal an alarming long-term decline in the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts even in established democracies. The United States (64) received its lowest score on record this year; Canada (75), New Zealand (81), and several European countries – including the United Kingdom (70), France (66), and Sweden (80) – have also seen notable declines over the past decade.

At the same time, even countries with the least corrupt public sectors according to the survey face serious integrity challenges: many facilitate corruption elsewhere by enabling the cross-border transfer of illicit proceeds and their integration into money-laundering schemes.

Meanwhile, pressure on civil society is intensifying worldwide. In nearly two-thirds of the countries whose CPI scores have significantly declined since 2012, there has been a trend toward restricting freedoms of expression, association, and assembly. This, in turn, makes it more difficult – and sometimes dangerous – for citizens, NGOs, and the media to engage in countering abuse and corruption, reducing transparency and accountability.

*This year’s ranking marks the 31st edition of the CPI. The Index is based on surveys of experts and businesspeople and is intended to illustrate perceived levels of corruption in the public sector. TI does not conduct its own surveys but relies on data from 13 external sources (such as the World Bank, World Economic Forum, Asian and African Development Banks, and others), whose results are standardized into a unified scoring system. Countries are ultimately ranked on a scale from 0 (highest perceived corruption) to 100 (lowest perceived corruption). It should be noted that the CPI, like most corruption rankings, has a number of limitations, which we have discussed previously.