Where Does India Rank in Corruption? Denmark Tops and Somalia Lags in Latest CPI Report

Last Updated: Jul 22, 2026, 19:15 IST

India climbed five positions to secure the 91st spot among 182 nations in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index. Denmark retained its position as the least corrupt country, while Somalia ranked lowest.

India ranking in Corruption
India ranking in Corruption

Where does India rank in corruption compared to the rest of the world? India moved up by five spots to 91st out of 182 countries in the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) from Transparency International.

India scored 39 out of 100 where higher scores mean a lower chance of corruption. 

Denmark stayed at the top as the cleanest country in terms of corruption. Somalia on the other hand ranked at the very bottom of the most recent Corruption rankings.

CPI Ranking of Most and Least Corrupt Countries in the World

Transparency International looks at public sector corruption across 182 countries using 13 different surveys and reports. 

Most countries still score below 50 which indicates that corruption remains a widespread issue globally.

This is how the latest corruption index and its CPI score from 2025 are read.

Country CPI Score Global Rank Status
Denmark 89 1 Least Corrupt
Finland 88 2 Top 5 Cleanest
Singapore 84 3 Top 5 Cleanest
New Zealand / Norway 81 4 (tied) Top 5 Cleanest
India 39 91 Middle Rank
Yemen / Libya 13 177 (tied) Highly Corrupt
Venezuela 10 180 Top 5 Most Corrupt
Somalia / South Sudan 9 181 (tied) Most Corrupt

Corruption Rankings of India in Last 10 Years

India recorded its best relative rank of 35th out of 41 participating countries in 1995 and its lowest position was 96th out of 180 countries in the 2024 index.

But the CPI score has remained steady between 38 and 41 points over the last 10 years. Only the rank moves up or down depending on how other nations perform.

CPI Edition / Year India Rank

CPI Score 

(out of 100)

Total Countries Ranked
2025 91 39 182
2024 96 38 180
2023 93 39 180
2022 85 40 180
2021 85 40 180
2020 86 40 180
2019 80 41 180
2018 78 41 180
2017 81 40 180
2016 79 40 176

India Ranking in Corruption Perception Index

What drives India’s Corruption Ranking and Path Ahead?

India’s rise to 91st place in 2025 Corruption Perception Index comes mostly from putting government services online.

Online welfare payments and government tenders mean fewer people have to pay bribes to agents or middleman clerks just to get basic paperwork done.

At the same time India remains in the lower half of the global list. 

Experts point out that slow court cases lack of protection for whistleblowers and unclear political funding keep the country from making bigger leaps.

Harshita Singh
Harshita Singh

Senior Executive - Editorial

Harshita Singh is an education and general knowledge journalist with over 5 years of experience in educational writing. Specializing in US affairs and GK, Harshita has a track record of breaking down intricate geopolitical and historical subjects into clear, digestible insights for learners. Her strong background in text analysis, coupled with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English from the University of Delhi, helps her produce authoritative, thoroughly researched content that empowers readers to engage confidently with global current affairs. For inquiries or academic insights, you can reach out to her directly at harshita.singh@jagrannewmedia.com.

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First Published: Jul 22, 2026, 19:15 IST

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