America Plummets to All-Time Low in Global Corruption Index

The United States has dropped to its worst-ever ranking in a leading global index that measures the perception of public sector corruption among business people and independent experts.In the latest Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International, the world’s most powerful democracy fell one spot to 29th place out of 182 countries. All of Scandinavia and most of Europe fared better than America, as did countries like Canada, Estonia, Bhutan, Barbados, and Lithuania.America’s ranking marks its lowest since the index was relaunched with a new methodology in 2012. The country’s CPI score hit a historic low of 64 on a scale where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean, continuing a decade-long downward trend.In a statement, the not-for-profit coalition expressed alarm regarding the state of American democracy: “Although 2025 developments are not yet fully reflected, actions targeting independent voices and undermining judicial independence raise serious concerns.”The organization also blamed President Trump for some actions he has taken since returning to the White House.“Beyond the CPI findings, the temporary freeze and weakening of enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act signal tolerance for corrupt business practices, while cuts to US aid for overseas civil society have weakened global anti-corruption efforts,” the group said.The deterioration of standards in America reflects a broader global trend. The global average score on the index fell to 42, its lowest level in more than a decade. According to Transparency International, “The vast majority of countries are failing to keep corruption under control.”Most of Africa and Asia fared badly on the survey, with Afghanistan coming in at 169 and Libya ranked 177 out of 182 countries. China came in at 67.“Eastern Europe and Central Asia remains one of the world’s lowest-performing regions with widespread impunity for corruption being driven by the vested interests that dominate most governments and their institutions,” Transparency International said.In South America, Venezuela is two clicks from the bottom at 180. “In the Americas, years of inaction by governments in addressing corruption has weakened democracy and allowed the growth of organised crime, with serious impacts on human rights and security,” the group said. Denmark secured the top spot for the eighth consecutive year with a score of 89, followed by Finland and Singapore. Rounding out the Top 10 were New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Netherlands, with Germany and Iceland tying for 10th.However, Transparency International noted that high scores in public sector cleanliness do not always equate to a lack of corruption entirely, pointing out that private sectors in high-ranking nations like Switzerland and Singapore “have faced scrutiny for facilitating the movement of dirty money.”Other major democracies, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also saw a “worrying decline in performance.” The UK’s CPI score dropped to 70, its lowest on record following a decade of decline, though it held its position at 20th place.

America Plummets to All-Time Low in Global Corruption Index

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