Transparency International published its annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2025.
Over the past year, only five post-Soviet countries managed to improve their scores: Kyrgyzstan (26 points, up 1 point), Azerbaijan (30, up 8), Ukraine (36, up 1), Latvia (60, up 1) and Lithuania (65, up 2). Rankings declined for Belarus (31, down 2), Uzbekistan (31, down 1), Kazakhstan (38, down 2), Moldova (43, down 1), Armenia (46, down 1) and Georgia (50, down 3). Scores remained unchanged for Turkmenistan (17), Tajikistan (19) and Estonia (76).
As in the previous year, the top four positions are held by Denmark (89 points out of 100), Finland (88), Singapore (84) and New Zealand (81). Norway entered the top five countries with the lowest levels of corruption for the first time, also scoring 81 points.
Overall, the authors of the index note that corruption is increasing worldwide, including in democratic countries that have traditionally been effective in combating it. According to Transparency International, this trend is occurring «against the backdrop of weakening political will among leaders.»
