India climbed five places to 91st position out of 182 countries and territories in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025, released by the Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International.

• The improvement reflects a one-point increase in India’s score compared to the previous year. 

What is the Corruption Perceptions Index?

• The CPI is an annual global ranking that assesses perceived levels of corruption in the public sector across countries.
• It uses a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates highly corrupt and 100 indicates very clean. 
• The index is widely used to gauge governance, transparency, and institutional integrity, drawing on expert assessments and business surveys.

India’s Performance in 2025

• Rank: 91st out of 182 countries. 
• Score: 39 on a 0–100 scale. 
• This represents an improvement of one point from the previous year and a rise from 96th place to 91st. 

Global Context

• The global average CPI score fell to a decade-low to 42 out of 100, indicating widespread public sector corruption globally and limited progress overall.
• It further pointed out that 122 countries, which are more than two-thirds of the total, scored under 50.
• Fewer than one-third of countries have improved significantly over the last decade. 
• Denmark retained the top position, followed by Finland and Singapore as among the cleanest nations. 
• South Sudan and Somalia, both scoring 9, tied at rank 181,  Venezuela ranks slightly higher at 180 with a score of 10, placing these three nations at the bottom of the index.

Key Takeaways from the Report

• The report warns that corruption remains a serious threat worldwide, highlighting the need for stronger democratic checks and independent civil society to hold power to account.
• High CPI scores don’t necessarily translate to corruption-free status. 
  • The report noted that the world’s best democracies, like New Zealand, Sweden, Canada , the UK, France, the US , etc, have seen worrying declines as compared to autocracies or flawed democracies. 
• It also notes that attacks on journalists and activists weaken transparency and allow corruption to persist. 

One-line wrap

India’s rise to 91st place in the CPI 2025 reflects modest gains in perceived public integrity but underscores the continuing challenge of curbing corruption and strengthening accountability.

Exam Hook — 

Consider the following statements about the Corruption Perceptions Index 2025:

1. India improved its rank to 91st out of 182 countries in the CPI 2025.
2. The CPI ranks countries based on actual recorded corruption cases.
3. A higher CPI score indicates less perceived corruption.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct answer: (a)

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