India has been ranked 91st among 182 countries and territories in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025, scoring 39 out of 100, according to the latest report published by Transparency International on February 10. The Corruption Perceptions Index is a measure of perceived public sector corruption, with 0 being highly corrupt and 100 being very clean.
Asia Pacific shows limited progress
The Berlin-based watchdog noted that anti-corruption efforts across the Asia Pacific region have seen only gradual movement. The regional average stands at 45, suggesting that the level of corruption has remained more or less the same over the last ten years.
The report pointed out that public discontent with poor governance and a lack of accountability has grown in several countries over the last year. In some of these, this discontent has boiled over into street protests, especially among the younger generation who are demanding greater transparency and change.
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Philippines, which scored 32 and ranked 120th, public indignation grew over reports that money had been siphoned off in a fake flood relief scheme. Indonesia scored 34 and ranked 109th; there were violent anti-government protests that led to deaths and injuries. In Nepal, which also scored 34 and ranked 109th, there were massive street protests that eventually brought down the government in response to growing discontent with corruption and restrictions on social media.
“In many countries across Asia Pacific, good governance is being undermined by weak law enforcement, unaccountable leadership and opacity in political funding,” Ilham Mohamed, Asia Pacific Adviser at Transparency International, said in a statement.
Regional gains and global picture
Several countries have registered real improvements since 2012. These comprise the Maldives (ranked 91st), Vietnam (ranked 81st), and Timor-Leste (ranked 73rd), which registered significant and measurable improvements related to policies improving institutions and tackling petty corruption.
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By contrast, weak states like Afghanistan and Myanmar share the same rank of 169 with a score of 16, whereas North Korea, which ranks 172, retains its place towards the bottom of the table thanks to limited civic space and poor judicial independence.
Globally, Denmark tops the table with a score of 89, closely followed by Finland with a score of 88, and Singapore with a slightly lower score of 84. New Zealand and Norway are joint fourth with scores of 81, while at the other end of the spectrum, Somalia and South Sudan trail at the bottom of the table with identical scores of 9.
The report also points out that many countries of the Asia-Pacific region score lower than the overall world average of 42, including India at 39, Bangladesh at 24 and ranking 150th, and Indonesia and Pakistan at 28 and ranking 136th.
