India stood at 96th place out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2024. The country’s overall score dropped by one point to 38, according to a Transparency International report released on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2024
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks 180 countries as well as territories by their perceived levels of corruption in the public sector, as per the experts and business people. The index uses a scale of zero to 100, wherein ‘zero’ is highly corrupt and ‘100’ is very clean.
In the previous two years, India scored 39 and 40 respectively. India ranked 93 in 2023.
The top three spots were snagged by Denmark, Finland, and Singapore respectively as the least corrupt nations. Of India’s neighbours, China ranked 76, Sri Lanka ranked 121, Pakistan ranked 135, and Bangladesh ranked 149.
The 2024 CPI has shown that corruption is a dangerous problem in every part of the world. Research has also revealed that corruption is a major threat to climate action. It is an obstacle in reducing emissions and adapting to the unavoidable effects of global warming.
Performance of Countries in CPI 2024
According to the report the corruption levels have significantly reduced in 32 countries since 2012. However, they have remained stagnant or gotten worse during the same period in 148 countries.
The global average of 43 has also stood still for years, while more than two-thirds of countries have scored below 50.
“Huge numbers of people around the world suffer severe consequences of global heating, as funds intended to help countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and protect vulnerable populations are stolen or misused. At the same time, corruption in the form of undue influence obstructs policies aimed at addressing the climate crisis and leads to environmental damage,” the report said.
“Protecting climate mitigation and adaptation efforts from corruption will make these life-saving activities more effective and, in turn, benefit people in need,” it added.
“Many countries with high CPI scores have the resources and power to drive corruption-resistant climate action around the world but instead, they often serve the interests of fossil-fuel companies,” the report said.
“Some of these countries are also home to financial hubs that attract illicit funds stemming from corruption, environmental destruction and other crime. While the CPI does not measure this, dirty money poses a major corruption problem with harmful effects that reach far beyond these countries’ borders,” it said.
“Corruption is an evolving global threat that does far more than undermine development –? it is a key cause of declining democracy, instability and human rights violations. The international community and every country must make tackling corruption a top and long-term priority,” the report said.
“This is crucial to pushing back against authoritarianism and securing a peaceful, free and sustainable world. The dangerous trends revealed in this year’s Corruption Perceptions Index highlight the need to follow through with concrete action now to address global corruption,” it said.
