Top 10 most corrupt countries, find out where India stands in the latest Corruption Perception Index

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is given by Transparency International. Highlighting global corruption trends, the index uses a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 being highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. According to Transparency International, 32 countries have significantly reduced their corruption levels since 2012. India stands at 96 out of 180 countries in the 2024 CPI.

As per the report “32 countries have significantly reduced their corruption levels since 2012, there’s still a huge amount of work to be done – 148 countries have stayed stagnant or gotten worse during the same period. The global average of 43 has also stood still for years, while over two-thirds of countries score below 50. Billions of people live in countries where corruption destroys lives and undermines human rights.”

Top 10 most corrupt countries as per the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) :

India at Rank 96

With an overall score of 39, India has improved by 2 points since 2022. But slipping 3 ranks in the CPI represents a decline from previous ranks. Transparency International (TI) acknowledges corruption as a “dangerous problem” prevalent in every part of the world. The 180 countries have been ranked according to the perceived levels of public sector corruption.

TI Chair, Francois Valeria says, “Corruption is an evolving global threat that does far more than undermine development – it is a key cause of declining democracy, instability and human rights violations.”

Find where Pakistan, USA, China stand

Standing at Rank 135, India’s neighbour Pakistan has seen a drop in the CPi score of two points scoring 27 on 100. The United States of America experienced a score change of negative 4 as it fell to rank 28 from 20 since 2023. Trends show a relative decline in the CPI score since 2017. On the other hand, China has shown a steady increase in the score displaying an upward graph with a 43 CPI score ranking at 76 among the 180 countries.

The CPI also identifies climate change as a direct consequence of corruption across countries. As the effects of climate change translate into global heating, a large number of funds meant to be allocated for protection of the vulnerable tend to be misused. Hindering development is just one effect of corruption, the TI Chair also identifies it as a direct threat to democracy.

With India standing at 96, Denmark remained as the most “clean” country with a score of 90. Representing the least corrupted nation, it is followed by Finland, Singapore, New Zealand and Luxembourg with scores between 81 to 88.