Transparency International said the global average score in its report is the lowest in more than a decade.
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The anti-corruption watchdog has warned of worsening corruption in democracies around the world in its latest report, with the United States dropping to its lowest score, raising concerns about the impact of U.S. developments and funding cuts around the world.
Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) announced on Tuesday that the global average Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score for 2025 reached 42 on a scale of 0 to 100, the lowest level in more than a decade.
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This group of indices assigns scores from 0 (very corrupt) to 100 (very clean), based on data that reflects the ratings of experts and business executives.
Since returning to the White House early last year, President Donald Trump has upended politics at home and abroad while ramping up pressure on institutions ranging from universities to the Federal Reserve.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for resisting President Trump’s pressure to lower interest rates.
TI expressed concern about “acts that target independent voices and undermine judicial independence” in the United States.
“The temporary freeze and weakening of enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is a sign of tolerance for corrupt practices.”
America’s ranking has fallen
The Trump administration’s cutoff of foreign aid has also “undermined global efforts to combat corruption.”
The U.S. CPI score has fallen to 64 from 65 in 2024, and the report notes that “the political climate has worsened for more than a decade.” It has fallen 10 points over the past 10 years.
The report also said that “the vast majority of countries are failing to curb corruption,” with 122 out of 180 countries scoring below 50.
However, 31 countries said they had made significant improvements, led by Estonia (76 points), Seychelles (68 points) and South Korea (63 points).
The US case shows a trend of democracies experiencing “deteriorating performance” in the fight against corruption, a phenomenon also evident in the UK and France, the report said.
Although these countries remain near the top of the index, weaker independent checks, legal gaps and inadequate enforcement pose “increasing corruption risks”.
“Some countries are experiencing strains to democracy, including political polarization and the growing influence of private finance on decision-making,” the report said.
Worst performing EU countries
The worst performing countries in the European Union were Bulgaria and Hungary, both with scores of just 40 points.
The report said the government of Hungarian nationalist leader Viktor Orbán, who has been in power since 2010 and faces a tough fight for re-election in April, “has systematically undermined the rule of law, civic space and electoral integrity for more than a decade.”
“This has allowed billions of dollars, including European Union funds, to flow to cronies with impunity through dirty public contracts and other methods,” the report said.
For the eighth consecutive year, Denmark was the highest ranked country in the index with a score of 89, followed by Finland and Singapore. South Sudan and Somalia are in last place with nine points each, followed by Venezuela.
Among the more positive stories of progress in the report was Ukraine, which scored 36 points.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government faces widespread public anger over corruption allegations against people close to him, even though it has been at war with Russia for nearly four years.
However, the watchdog noted that “the fact that these and many other scandals have been exposed shows that Ukraine’s new anti-corruption regime is making a difference.”
The party praised the “mobilization of civil society” last year, which led Zelenskiy to backtrack on efforts to curb the independence of anti-corruption bodies.
