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V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · Political Corruption Index
Political corruption by country
How widespread is corruption in government, parliament and the courts?
Of the 176 countries compared in 2025, Denmark had the lowest reading, 0.004, and Venezuela had the highest reading, 0.968. In the middle country the figure was 0.518. Among the 166 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 0.509 to 0.534.
Part ofGovernance & Institutions
Political corruption · 2025
Context statistic
Lowest of 176Denmark
0.004012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the lowest end of 176 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: User:Pieter Kuiper · Public domain, greyscale
3Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest on each continent
- Africa
Seychelles0.054 - Americas
Canada0.026 - Asia
Singapore0.013 - EuropeDenmark0.004
- Oceania
New Zealand0.014 - Every region
02Every measured country
Political corruption on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a lower value — the better end.
- 0.793–0.968
- 0.624–0.786
- 0.388–0.619
- 0.157–0.373
- 0.004–0.156
- No reading in 2025
- Europe
0.158
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Denmark0.004
Serbia0.794Lowest and highest reading in Europe.
- Oceania
0.311
the middle country, of 6 measured · 21 members
New Zealand0.014
Papua New Guinea0.684Lowest and highest reading in Oceania.
- Americas
0.507
the middle country, of 27 measured · 48 members
Canada0.026
Venezuela0.968Lowest and highest reading in Americas.
- Asia
0.590
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
Singapore0.013
Cambodia0.904Lowest and highest reading in Asia.
- Africa
0.671
the middle country, of 55 measured · 55 members
Seychelles0.054
Chad0.952Lowest and highest reading in Africa.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, lowest middle country first
- Western Europe
0.027
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Switzerland0.020
Austria0.095Lowest and highest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
0.028
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Denmark0.004
Lithuania0.159Lowest and highest reading in Northern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
0.214
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Japan0.050
Mongolia0.693Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Southern Europe
0.276
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Slovenia0.078Serbia0.794Lowest and highest reading in Southern Europe.
- Caribbean
0.397
the middle country, of 6 measured · 24 members
Barbados0.073
Haiti0.786Lowest and highest reading in Caribbean.
- Eastern Europe
0.415
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Poland0.081
Russia0.783Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Western Asia
0.422
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
United Arab Emirates0.105
Yemen0.902Lowest and highest reading in Western Asia.
- South America
0.465
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Uruguay0.055Venezuela0.968Lowest and highest reading in South America.
- Southern Africa
0.472
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Botswana0.204
Eswatini0.554Lowest and highest reading in Southern Africa.
- Western Africa
0.607
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Benin0.191
Liberia0.877Lowest and highest reading in Western Africa.
- Central America
0.616
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica0.206
Nicaragua0.942Lowest and highest reading in Central America.
- Southern Asia
0.684
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Bhutan0.148
Pakistan0.802Lowest and highest reading in Southern Asia.
- Eastern Africa
0.695
the middle country, of 19 measured · 19 members
Seychelles0.054
South Sudan0.893Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Northern Africa
0.695
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Tunisia0.410
Libya0.811Lowest and highest reading in Northern Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
0.700
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Singapore0.013Cambodia0.904Lowest and highest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Central Asia
0.823
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan0.736
Turkmenistan0.899Lowest and highest reading in Central Asia.
- Middle Africa
0.854
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe0.289Chad0.952Lowest and highest reading in Middle Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand0.014
Australia0.029Lowest and highest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Fiji0.289Papua New Guinea0.684Lowest and highest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada0.026
United States0.060Lowest and highest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
176 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.518; a quarter are above 0.759, and a quarter below 0.206. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 176 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first — position 1 is the highest value, the way V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s own tables read. “=” marks a position shared with another country. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. ⚠ Higher is worse, the reverse of every other V-Dem measure on this site, so the derived position puts the most corrupt country first. It is expert-coded by V-Dem, a different method from the Corruption Perceptions Index on this site, so the two can disagree about a country.
Showing 25 of 176 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2025 · 36 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 1990, all of them re-estimated together in V-Dem's v16 release. Year-to-year changes are usually small, so read the direction over several years rather than a single step.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 166 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 176 | 0.518 | 0.206 – 0.759 | 0.534 |
| 2024 | 176 | 0.519 | 0.191 – 0.756 | 0.530 |
| 2023 | 176 | 0.515 | 0.195 – 0.770 | 0.524 |
| 2022 | 176 | 0.515 | 0.195 – 0.749 | 0.530 |
| 2021 | 176 | 0.516 | 0.186 – 0.763 | 0.528 |
| 2020 | 176 | 0.511 | 0.192 – 0.762 | 0.525 |
| 2019 | 176 | 0.517 | 0.207 – 0.762 | 0.517 |
| 2018 | 176 | 0.511 | 0.196 – 0.762 | 0.511 |
| 2017 | 176 | 0.521 | 0.201 – 0.759 | 0.521 |
| 2016 | 176 | 0.530 | 0.207 – 0.769 | 0.534 |
| 2015 | 176 | 0.530 | 0.207 – 0.776 | 0.532 |
| 2014 | 176 | 0.556 | 0.212 – 0.776 | 0.564 |
| 2013 | 176 | 0.556 | 0.210 – 0.762 | 0.564 |
| 2012 | 176 | 0.571 | 0.207 – 0.772 | 0.573 |
| 2011 | 176 | 0.579 | 0.204 – 0.772 | 0.583 |
| 2010 | 175 | 0.579 | 0.208 – 0.790 | 0.591 |
| 2009 | 175 | 0.570 | 0.203 – 0.799 | 0.579 |
| 2008 | 175 | 0.571 | 0.203 – 0.796 | 0.579 |
| 2007 | 175 | 0.569 | 0.199 – 0.804 | 0.573 |
| 2006 | 175 | 0.565 | 0.201 – 0.798 | 0.573 |
| 2005 | 175 | 0.565 | 0.201 – 0.804 | 0.573 |
| 2004 | 174 | 0.565 | 0.202 – 0.802 | 0.569 |
| 2003 | 174 | 0.562 | 0.219 – 0.805 | 0.569 |
| 2002 | 174 | 0.562 | 0.219 – 0.804 | 0.570 |
| 2001 | 174 | 0.557 | 0.256 – 0.793 | 0.562 |
| 2000 | 173 | 0.563 | 0.252 – 0.795 | 0.569 |
| 1999 | 173 | 0.568 | 0.253 – 0.792 | 0.565 |
| 1998 | 172 | 0.573 | 0.245 – 0.795 | 0.575 |
| 1997 | 171 | 0.568 | 0.245 – 0.794 | 0.565 |
| 1996 | 171 | 0.576 | 0.245 – 0.783 | 0.575 |
| 1995 | 171 | 0.557 | 0.249 – 0.791 | 0.554 |
| 1994 | 171 | 0.540 | 0.258 – 0.788 | 0.537 |
| 1993 | 171 | 0.540 | 0.253 – 0.777 | 0.544 |
| 1992 | 170 | 0.530 | 0.254 – 0.769 | 0.530 |
| 1991 | 169 | 0.512 | 0.253 – 0.725 | 0.507 |
| 1990 | 166 | 0.509 | 0.207 – 0.746 | 0.509 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Syria0.797 → 0.619 · 36th → 72nd−0.178
Sri Lanka0.456 → 0.278 · 96th → 123rd−0.178
Bangladesh0.922 → 0.780 · 6th → 39th−0.142
Sudan0.839 → 0.719 · 24th → 54th−0.120
Mauritius0.455 → 0.356 · 97th → 108th−0.099
Worsened most
before → after
Bolivia0.654 → 0.763 · 67th → 44th+0.109
Georgia0.188 → 0.289 · 134th → 119th+0.101
Armenia0.372 → 0.472 · 109th → 93rd+0.100
Afghanistan0.681 → 0.769 · 61st → 41st+0.088
Guinea-Bissau0.747 → 0.828 · 48th → 26th+0.081
176 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Political corruption in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
0.971
Political corruption index (0–1; higher = more corrupt)
Lowest reading on record
0.002
Political corruption index (0–1; higher = more corrupt)
Biggest improvement between editions
−0.674
0.874 → 0.200
Biggest decline between editions
+0.389
0.144 → 0.533
Most improved since first measured
2 countries moved by exactly the same amount — no holder is named
Shared
At the top most often
36 of 36
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About political corruption
V-Dem's Political Corruption Index asks how pervasive corruption is across the state — bribery and embezzlement in the executive and the wider public sector, and corruption in the legislature and the courts. It runs from 0 to 1, and unlike V-Dem's other indices a higher figure is worse: more corrupt.
What the number is: Political corruption index (0–1; higher = more corrupt).
What it does not measure
It is an expert assessment of corruption in the state; it does not count prosecutions or measure corruption in private business.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Governance & Institutions, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where political corruption is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- INFORM Risk IndexKeyEuropean Commission Joint Research Centre, with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee · 172 countries in commonρ 0.73
- Learning PovertyWorld Bank Group and UNESCO Institute for Statistics · 107 countries in commonρ 0.72
- Informal Employment RateILO · 86 countries in commonρ 0.72
Moves against
Where political corruption is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Corruption Perceptions IndexKeyTransparency International · 175 countries in commonρ −0.91
- Control of CorruptionWorld Bank Group · 175 countries in commonρ −0.91
- Rule of LawKeyWorld Bank Group · 175 countries in commonρ −0.87
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 187 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
More from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
11Questions
Political corruption: questions and answers
Which country has the lowest political corruption?
Denmark, at 0.004, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the highest political corruption?
Venezuela, at 0.968, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Political Corruption Index cover?
176 in 2025. The number measured varies from 166 to 176 between editions.
What is the world average political corruption?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 176 compared in 2025, the figure was 0.518.
Is this V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s own ranking?
No. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Political Corruption Index published?
This site holds 36 reference years, 1990–2025, all recalculated in V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s 2026 report on one method — not 36 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Political Corruption Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: Coppedge, M. et al. V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project, University of Gothenburg.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sweden — User:Pieter Kuiper, Public domain
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Political corruption by country: Political Corruption Index, data from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/political-corruption