The Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 (CPI 2024) was released by Transparency International on February 11, 2025. The Transparency International observes that corruption remains “a dangerous problem in every part of the world, but change for the better is happening in many countries” noting 148 countries out of 180 covered as part of the CPI have “stayed stagnant or gotten worse since 2012.”

What is Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)?

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an annual ranking published by Transparency International (TI) that measures perceived levels of public sector corruption in countries worldwide. It is one of the most widely used indicators of corruption.

What is Transparency International?

Transparency International (TI) is a global non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to fighting corruption and promoting transparency, accountability, and integrity in governments, businesses, and civil society. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, TI operates through a network of national chapters in over 100 countries.

Ranking Mechanism in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks countries based on perceived levels of public sector corruption. Since corruption is difficult to measure directly, CPI relies on expert assessments and surveys.

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How the Corruption Perceptions Index is Calculated

  1. Sources of Data

    • CPI uses 13 independent sources from institutions like:
      • World Bank
      • World Economic Forum
      • Economist Intelligence Unit
      • Bertelsmann Foundation
      • Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project
    • These sources provide expert and business surveys on corruption.

  2. Scoring System

    • Countries are scored from 0 to 100:
      • 0 = Highly Corrupt
      • 100 = Very Clean
    • The final score is the average of data from multiple sources.

  3. Ranking Process

    • Countries are ranked based on their CPI scores from highest (least corrupt) to lowest (most corrupt).
    • If multiple countries have the same score, they share the same ranking.

Factors Considered in CPI

  • Bribery in the public sector
  • Diversion of public funds
  • Use of public office for private gain
  • Effectiveness of anti-corruption laws
  • Transparency in government spending
  • Protection for whistleblowers and journalists

Limitations of the CPI

  • It measures perceptions, not actual corruption levels.
  • It focuses on public sector corruption, ignoring private sector corruption.
  • It does not reflect real-time changes but trends over time.

Top 10 Least Corrupt Countries as per Corruption Perceptions Index 2024

The top 10 least corrupt countries as per Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 are given below.

Global Rank Country CPI 2024 Score
1 Denmark 90
2 Finland 88
3 Singapore 84
4 New Zealand 83
5 Luxembourg 81
5 Norway 81
5 Switzerland 81
8 Sweden 80
9 Netherlands 78
10 Australia 77

India’s Rank in Corruption Perceptions Index 2024

India ranked 96 out of 180 in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 with a score of 36.

India’s score and ranking in Corruption Perceptions Index in last 10 years

Over the past decade, India’s performance in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has exhibited minor fluctuations in both score and ranking. Here’s a summary:

Year CPI Score Global Rank
2014 38 85
2015 38 76
2016 40 79
2017 40 81
2018 41 78
2019 41 80
2020 40 86
2021 40 85
2022 40 85
2023 39 93
2024 36 96

India’s position in Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 has neither drastically improved nor drastically worsened.

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