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.”
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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.
How the Corruption Perceptions Index is Calculated
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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.
- CPI uses 13 independent sources from institutions like:
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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.
- Countries are scored from 0 to 100:
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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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