Map showing countries and territories according to the Corruption Perception Index, 2021, in ascending order.

Score higher than 89   Score equal to or between 80 and 89   Score equal to or between 70 and 79   Score equal to or between 60 and 69   Score equal to or between 50 and 59   Score equal to or between 40 and 49

Score equal to or between 30 and 39   Score equal to or between 20 and 29   Score equal to or between 10 and 19   Score less than 10   Data unavailable

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index which ranks countries "by their perceived levels of public sector^[1] corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys."^[2] The CPI generally defines corruption as an "abuse of entrusted power for private gain".^[3] The index is published annually by the non-governmental organisation Transparency International since 1995.

The 2021 CPI, published in January 2022, currently ranks 180 countries "on a scale from 100 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt)" based on the situation between 1 May 2020 and 30 April 2021.^[4] Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Singapore, and Sweden are perceived as the least corrupt nations in the world, ranking consistently high among international financial transparency, while the most apparently corrupt are Syria, Somalia (both scoring 13), and South Sudan (11).^[5]

Methods

Transparency International commissioned the University of Passau's Johann Graf Lambsdorff to produce the CPI.^[6] The 2012 CPI takes into account 16 different surveys and assessments from 12 different institutions.^[7] The 13 surveys/assessments are either business people opinion surveys or performance assessments from a group of analysts.^[3] Early CPIs used public opinion surveys.^[8] The institutions are:^[9]

• African Development Bank (based in Côte d'Ivoire)
• Bertelsmann Foundation (based in Germany)
• Economist Intelligence Unit (based in the UK)
• Freedom House (based in the US)
• Global Insight (based in US)
• International Institute for Management Development (based in Switzerland)
• Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (based in Hong Kong)
• The PRS Group, Inc., (based in the US)
• World Economic Forum
• World Bank
• World Justice Project (based in US)

Countries need to be evaluated by at least three sources to appear in the CPI.^[8] The CPI measures perception of corruption due to the difficulty of measuring absolute levels of corruption.^[10]

Validity

A study published in 2002 found a "very strong significant correlation" between the Corruption Perceptions Index and two other proxies for corruption: black market activity and an overabundance of regulation.^[11]

All three metrics also had a highly significant correlation with real gross domestic product per capita (RGDP/Cap); the Corruption Perceptions Index correlation with RGDP/Cap was the strongest, explaining over three fourths of the variance.^[11] (Note that a lower rating on this scale reflects greater corruption, so that countries with higher RGDPs generally had less corruption.)

Alex Cobham of the Center for Global Development reported in 2013 that "many of the staff and chapters" at Transparency International, the publisher of the Corruption Perceptions Index, "protest internally" over concerns about the index. The original creator of the index, Johann Graf Lambsdorff, withdrew from work on the index in 2009, stating "In 1995 I invented the Corruption Perceptions Index and have orchestrated it ever since, putting TI on the spotlight of international attention. In August 2009 I have informed Cobus de Swardt, Managing Director of TI, that I am no longer available for doing the Corruption Perceptions Index."^[12]

Economic implications

Research papers published in 2007 and 2008 examined the economic consequences of corruption perception, as defined by the CPI. The researchers found a correlation between a higher CPI and higher long-term economic growth,^[13] as well as an increase in GDP growth of 1.7% for every unit increase in a country's CPI score.^[14] Also shown was a power-law dependence linking higher CPI score to higher rates of foreign investment in a country.

Rankings

Legend:

2012–2021

Corruption Perceptions Index table:^[15]

#	Nation or Territory	2021[5]		2020[16]		2019[17]		2018[18]		2017[19]		2016[20]		2015[21]		2014[22]		2013[23]		2012[24]
		Score	Δ	Score	Δ	Score	Δ	Score	Δ	Score	Δ	Score	Δ	Score	Δ	Score	Δ	Score	Δ	Score
1	Denmark	88		88	1	87	1	88		88	2	90	1	91	1	92	1	91	1	90
1	New Zealand	88		88	1	87		87	2	89	1	90	1	91		91		91	1	90
1	Finland	88	3	85	1	86	1	85		85	4	89	1	90	1	89		89	1	90
4	Singapore	85		85		85		85	1	84		84	1	85	1	84	2	86	1	87
4	Sweden	85		85		85		85	1	84	4	88	1	89	2	87	2	89	1	88
7	Switzerland	84	1	85		85		85		85	1	86		86		86	1	85	1	86
4	Norway	85	1	84		84		84	1	85		85	2	87	1	86		86	1	85
8	Netherlands	82		82		82		82		82	1	83	4	87	4	83		83	1	84
10	Germany	80		80		80		80	1	81		81		81	2	79	1	78	1	79
9	Luxembourg	81	1	80		80	1	81	1	82	1	81		81	1	82	2	80		80
18	Australia	73	4	77		77		77		77	2	79		79	1	80	1	81	4	85
13	Canada	74	3	77		77	4	81	1	82		82	1	83	2	81		81	3	84
12	Hong Kong	76	1	77	1	76		76	1	77		77	2	75	1	74	1	75	2	77
11	United Kingdom	78	1	77		77	3	80	2	82	1	81		81	3	78	2	76	2	74
13	Austria	74	2	76	1	77	1	76	1	75		75	1	76	4	72	3	69		69
18	Belgium	73	3	76	1	75		75		75	2	77		77	1	76	1	75		75
13	Estonia	74	1	75	1	74	1	73	2	71	1	70		70	1	69	1	68	4	64
13	Iceland	74	1	75	3	78	2	76	1	77	1	78	1	79		79	1	78	4	82
18	Japan	73	1	74	1	73		73		73	1	72	3	75	1	76	2	74		74
13	Ireland	74	2	72	2	74	1	73	1	74	1	73	2	75	1	74	2	72	3	69
24	United Arab Emirates	69	2	71		71	1	70	1	71	5	66	4	70		70	1	69	1	68
18	Uruguay	73	2	71		71	1	70		70	1	71	3	74	1	73		73	1	72
22	France	71	1	69		69	3	72	2	70	1	69	1	70	1	69	2	71		71
25	Bhutan	68		68		68		68	1	67	2	65		65		65	2	63		63
27	Chile	67		67		67		67		67	1	66	4	70	3	73	2	71	1	72
27	United States	67		67	2	69	2	71	4	75	1	74	2	76	2	74	1	73		73
23	Seychelles	70	4	66		66		66	6	60	5			55		55	1	54	2	52
25	Taiwan	68	2	65		65	2	63		63	2	61	1	62	1	61		61		61
29	Barbados	65	1	64	2	62	6	68		68	7	61				74	1	75	1	76
30	Bahamas	64	1	63	1	64	1	65		65	1	66				71		71		71
31	Qatar	63		63	1	62		62	1	63	2	61	10	71	2	69	1	68		68
32	South Korea	62	1	61	2	59	2	57	3	54	1	53	3	56	1	55		55	1	56
32	Portugal	62	1	61	1	62	2	64	1	63	1	62	1	63		63	1	62	1	63
34	Lithuania	61	1	60		60	1	59		59		59	2	61	3	58	1	57	3	54
34	Spain	61	1	62		62	4	58	1	57	1	58		58	2	60	1	59	6	65
45	Botswana	55	5	60	1	61		61		61	1	60	3	63		63	1	64	1	65
35	Brunei			60		60	3	63	1	62	4	58						60	5	55
36	Israel	59	1	60		60	1	61	1	62	2	64	3	61	1	60	1	61	1	60
41	Slovenia	57	3	60		60		60	1	61		61	1	60	2	58	1	57	4	61
36	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	59		59		59	1	58		58	2	60				67	5	62		62
39	Cape Verde	58		58		58	1	57	2	55	4	59	4	55	2	57	1	58	2	60
39	Costa Rica	58	1	57	1	56		56	3	59	1	58	3	55	1	54	1	53	1	54
52	Cyprus	53	4	57	1	58	1	59	2	57	2	55	6	61	2	63		63	3	66
36	Latvia	59	2	57	1	56	2	58		58	1	57	2	55		55	2	53	4	49
45	Georgia	55	1	56		56	2	58	2	56	1	57	5	52		52	3	49	3	52
42	Poland	56		56	2	58	2	60		60	2	62		62	1	61	1	60	2	58
42	Saint Lucia	56		56	1	55		55		55	5	60						71		71
45	Dominica	55		55		55	2	57		57	2	59				58		58		58
49	Czech Republic	54		54	2	56	3	59	2	57	2	55	1	56	5	51	3	48	1	49
56	Oman	52	2	54	2	52		52	8	44	1	45		45		45	2	47		47
52	Rwanda	53	1	54	1	53	3	56	1	55	1	54		54	5	49	4	53		53
52	Grenada	53		53		53	1	52		52	4	56
42	Italy	56	3	53		53	1	52	2	50	3	47	3	44	1	43		43	1	42
49	Malta	54	1	53	1	54		54	2	56	1	55	1	56	1	55	1	56	1	57
49	Mauritius	54	1	53	1	52	1	51	1	50	4	54	1	53	1	54	2	52	5	57
52	Saudi Arabia	53		53		53	4	49		49	3	46	6	52	3	49	3	46	2	44
62	Malaysia	48	3	51	2	53	6	47		47	2	49	1	50	2	52	2	50	1	49
58	Namibia	49	2	51	1	52	1	53	2	51	1	52	1	53	4	49	1	48		48
58	Greece	49	1	50	2	48	3	45	3	48	4	44	2	46	3	43	3	40	4	36
58	Armenia	49		49	7	42	7	35		35	2	33	2	35	2	37	1	36	2	34
58	Jordan	49		49	1	48	1	49	1	48		48	5	53	4	49	4	45	3	48
56	Slovakia	52	2	49	1	50		50		50	1	51		51	1	50	3	47	1	46
82	Belarus	41	6	47	2	45	1	44		44	4	40	8	32	1	31	2	29	2	31
63	Croatia	47		47		47	1	48	1	49		49	2	51	3	48		48	2	46
64	Cuba	46	1	47	1	48	1	47		47		47		47	1	46		46	2	48
66	São Tomé and Príncipe	45	2	47	1	46		46		46		46	4	42		42		42		42
64	Montenegro	46	1	45		45		45	1	46	1	45	1	44	2	42	2	44	3	41
73	Senegal	43	2	45		45		45		45		45	1	44	1	43	2	41	5	36
78	Bulgaria	42	2	44	1	43	1	42	1	43	2	41		41	2	43	2	41		41
73	Hungary	43	1	44		44	2	46	1	45	3	48	3	51	3	54		54	1	55
70	Jamaica	44		44	1	43	1	44		44	5	39	2	41	3	38		38		38
66	Romania	45	1	44		44	3	47	1	48		48	2	46	3	43		43	1	44
70	South Africa	44		44		44	1	43		43	2	45	1	44		44	2	42	1	43
70	Tunisia	44		44	1	43		43	1	42	1	41	3	38	2	40	1	41		41
73	Ghana	43		43	2	41		41	1	40	3	43	4	47	1	48	2	46	1	45
85	Maldives	40	3	43	14	29	2	31	2	33	3	36
66	Vanuatu	45	2	43	3	46		46	3	43
96	Argentina	38	4	42	3	45	5	40	1	39	3	36	4	32	2	34		34	1	35
78	Bahrain	42		42		42	6	36		36	7	43	8	51	2	49	1	48	3	51
66	China	45	3	42	1	41	2	39	2	41	1	40	3	37	1	36	4	40	1	39
73	Kuwait	43	1	42	2	40	1	41	2	39	2	41	8	49	5	44	1	43	1	44
73	Solomon Islands	43	1	42		42	2	44	5	39	3	42
78	Benin	42	1	41		41	1	40	1	39	3	36	1	37	2	39	3	36		36
87	Guyana	39	2	41	1	40	3	37	1	38	4	34	5	29	1	30	3	27	1	28
96	Lesotho	38	3	41	1	40	1	41	1	42	3	39	5	44	5	49		49	4	45
78	Burkina Faso	42	2	40		40	1	41	1	42		42	4	38		38		38		38
85	India	40		40	1	41		41	1	40		40	2	38		38	2	36		36