UK and US Hit Record Lows in Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Index
Western democracies including the UK, US, Canada and Sweden have recorded their steepest declines in Transparency International's annual corruption rankings, as the global average drops for the first time in over a decade.
Feb 10, 2026, 07:03 AM
The United Kingdom and United States have sunk to historic lows in Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, released on Tuesday, underscoring what the anti-corruption watchdog calls a troubling erosion of governance standards in the world's established democracies 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
The findings mark a watershed moment in global anti-corruption monitoring: the number of countries scoring above 80 — once a benchmark for clean governance — has shrunk from 12 a decade ago to just five, while the global average has dropped for the first time in more than a decade to 42 out of 100 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden.. With 122 of 182 countries scoring below 50, the report paints a picture of widespread institutional decay that extends well beyond the usual suspects.
Western Democracies in Decline
The US recorded its lowest-ever score of 64, a drop of 10 points from 2016, falling to 29th place globally . Transparency International noted that the American political climate has been deteriorating for more than a decade, with high-profile ethics scandals at the Supreme Court contributing to previous drops 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
Francois Valerian, chair of Transparency International, cautioned against placing all blame on the current administration. "We can't blame everything on Trump because there were concerning reforms that started before him," Valerian told DW . However, the report cited the use of public office to target independent voices, the normalisation of transactional politics, and actions undermining judicial independence as factors sending dangerous signals 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
The report flagged Trump's use of an executive order to revise the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, his support for cryptocurrencies often used for money laundering, and a fast-track immigration program for wealthy foreigners that critics have dubbed the Trump Gold Card 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden.. Valerian warned that such visa schemes, based on international experience, tend to attract corrupt individuals and criminals 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
Britain's Persistent Slide
Britain has fallen from 7th place to 20th since 2015, recording a score of 70 — down 11 points over the decade . The decline has been linked to failures in enforcing ethical standards for ministers and lawmakers, as well as COVID-19 procurement scandals where well-connected individuals secured lucrative PPE contracts with minimal scrutiny 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
Transparency International highlighted concerns around both major political parties. The Conservatives accepted 15 million pounds from a single donor in less than 12 months, while reports surfaced that Elon Musk had considered a $100 million donation to Reform UK UK and US sink to new lows in global index of corruptiontheguardian.com·SecondaryCountries’ drop in scores in annual table comes amid ‘worrying trend’ of backsliding in established democracies The UK and US have sunk to new lows in a global index of corruption, amid a “worrying trend” of democratic institutions being eroded by political donations, cash for access and state targeting of campaigners and journalists.. Labour faced scrutiny after its largest donor, Waheed Alli, received privileged access to Downing Street UK and US sink to new lows in global index of corruptiontheguardian.com·SecondaryCountries’ drop in scores in annual table comes amid ‘worrying trend’ of backsliding in established democracies The UK and US have sunk to new lows in a global index of corruption, amid a “worrying trend” of democratic institutions being eroded by political donations, cash for access and state targeting of campaigners and journalists..
Daniel Bruce, chief executive of Transparency International UK, described the decline as more than a temporary blip. "It risks becoming a defining feature of our political culture," he said, calling on the government to take bold action to remove big money from politics and end cronyism UK and US sink to new lows in global index of corruptiontheguardian.com·SecondaryCountries’ drop in scores in annual table comes amid ‘worrying trend’ of backsliding in established democracies The UK and US have sunk to new lows in a global index of corruption, amid a “worrying trend” of democratic institutions being eroded by political donations, cash for access and state targeting of campaigners and journalists..
The UK government said it was committed to tackling corruption, pointing to its anti-corruption strategy and 15 million pounds in new funding for an expanded domestic corruption unit UK and US sink to new lows in global index of corruptiontheguardian.com·SecondaryCountries’ drop in scores in annual table comes amid ‘worrying trend’ of backsliding in established democracies The UK and US have sunk to new lows in a global index of corruption, amid a “worrying trend” of democratic institutions being eroded by political donations, cash for access and state targeting of campaigners and journalists..
Broader Global Picture
The erosion extends across Western nations. New Zealand dropped nine points to 81, Sweden fell eight points to 80, and Canada declined seven points to 75 over the past decade . France fell four points to 66, with the report citing declining corruption enforcement and growing risks of collusion between officials and private interests 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden.. Germany's decline was more modest at four points to 77, though the country rose two points from last year 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
Denmark achieved the highest score for the eighth consecutive year at 89, followed by Finland at 88 and Singapore at 84 . At the bottom, South Sudan and Somalia scored just nine, with Venezuela, Yemen and Libya also among the lowest-ranked nations 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
Authoritarian Regimes and Conflict Zones
The report noted that authoritarian regimes perform worst, with corruption described as systemic at every level in countries like Venezuela and Azerbaijan 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden.. Nations scoring under 25 are mostly affected by conflict and highly repressive regimes, including Libya, Yemen and Eritrea 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
Russia remained near the bottom with a score of 22, while Ukraine scored 36 — a rise of seven points over the past decade. Transparency International praised Ukraine's anti-corruption push even as the country fights Russian aggression, noting that recent defence procurement scandals surfacing publicly and reaching prosecution indicates the new anti-corruption framework is taking hold 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
A Crisis of Leadership
Transparency International framed the global deterioration as fundamentally a failure of leadership. The report warned that leaders increasingly cite security, economic or geopolitical concerns as reasons to centralise power and roll back anti-corruption commitments 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
Valerian summed up the dynamic: "The more concentrated your power is, the higher the abuse of power. And the more secretive your power is, the easier it is to abuse that power" 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
The anti-corruption body also warned of increasing crackdowns on NGOs, journalists and whistleblowers who speak out against corruption, citing deteriorating conditions in Georgia, Indonesia and Peru . The Epstein files, released last month, which implicated officials in several countries, were not yet reflected in the data 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden..
While the report offered some positive notes — Albania, Angola, Ivory Coast, Ukraine and Uzbekistan have all climbed from the bottom toward the middle of the rankings 2025 Corruption Index flags drops in Western nationsdw.com·SecondaryEven the world's established democracies are increasingly sliding into corruption. Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), published on Tuesday, shows a troubling erosion of leadership in combating corruption in the West. The 31st edition of the CPI ranks more than 180 countries and territories on perceived levels of public sector corruption, showing declines for longstanding strong performers, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Sweden. — the overarching message was clear: the world's democracies can no longer take their anti-corruption credentials for granted.
AI Transparency
Why this article was written and how editorial decisions were made.
Why This Topic
The 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index is Transparency International's flagship annual report, covering 182 countries. This year's findings are particularly significant because the global average has dropped for the first time in over a decade, and established Western democracies — long considered anti-corruption leaders — are recording their steepest declines. The story has immediate policy implications for the UK, US, Canada, and EU anti-corruption frameworks, and comes amid heightened scrutiny of political donations, judicial independence, and government ethics standards globally.
Source Selection
The article relies on two tier-1 sources: Deutsche Welle's comprehensive report featuring exclusive interview quotes from Transparency International chair Francois Valerian, and the Guardian's reporting with additional UK-specific context including quotes from Transparency International UK chief executive Daniel Bruce. Both sources cover the same CPI 2025 release but with complementary angles — DW provides the global perspective with direct Valerian quotes, while the Guardian adds granular UK political donation details and government response. Cross-referencing both sources ensures accuracy of specific figures and rankings.
Editorial Decisions
This article draws from both DW and Guardian reporting on Transparency International's 2025 CPI release. The framing centres on the Western democracy decline angle, which both sources emphasise as the most newsworthy development. We included specific country scores and rankings to ground the analysis in data. The Epstein files connection mentioned in both sources is noted but kept proportionate since the CPI data predates those revelations. Regional breakdowns for Latin America and Africa were condensed to maintain focus. The UK government response is included for balance. We excluded the DW video embeds and Guardian social sharing metadata as non-substantive.
Reader Ratings
About the Author
Sources
- 1.dw.comSecondary
- 2.theguardian.comSecondary
Editorial Reviews
1 approved · 0 rejectedPrevious Draft Feedback (1)
• depth_and_context scored 4/3 minimum: The article situates the CPI results in longer-term trends (decadal drops, shrinking number of high scorers) and gives examples across countries, but it could deepen context on CPI methodology, specific mechanisms of corruption, and comparative historical drivers behind declines. • narrative_structure scored 4/3 minimum: The draft has a clear lede, sectional headings, logical progression (headline, country examples, global picture, causes) and a concluding theme, though the ending is a bit abrupt and could use a stronger closing takeaway or call to action. • analytical_value scored 3/2 minimum: The article offers some interpretation (leadership failure, centralisation of power) and links to policy examples, but stops short of deeper analysis of causal pathways, geopolitical drivers, or likely policy responses and consequences. • filler_and_redundancy scored 4/3 minimum: The draft is concise and avoids repetitive sentences; most paragraphs add new country-specific or thematic information, with minimal padding. • language_and_clarity scored 4/3 minimum: Writing is generally clear and readable, and political labels are mostly tied to examples, though a few charged phrases (e.g., 'Trump Gold Card') could use careful attribution or brief explanation to avoid editorializing. Warnings: • [evidence_quality] Statistic "$100 million" not found in any source material • [evidence_quality] Statistic "15 million" not found in any source material • [article_quality] perspective_diversity scored 3 (borderline): The piece quotes Transparency International leaders and cites government responses briefly, but it lacks voices from independent experts, opposition figures, civil-society actors, or affected citizens to broaden perspective. • [article_quality] publication_readiness scored 4 (borderline): The article reads like a near-final news piece with proper sourcing inline and tidy structure; it needs minor copyedits (stronger closing, sourcing consistency) but contains no prohibited meta-sections or AI references.
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