Sri Lanka jumps 14 places in global corruption rankings

Sri Lanka rises 14 places to Rank 107 in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2025, marking one of its strongest improvements in recent years.

Sri Lanka has shown notable progress in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 released by Transparency International, moving up from Rank 121 in 2024 to Rank 107 in 2025.

This 14-place jump comes after the country recorded its worst-ever ranking in 2024, when it was placed among the most corrupt third of the countries assessed.

The CPI is the world’s most widely used global corruption ranking. It measures how corrupt a country’s public sector is perceived to be, using a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). In total, 180 countries and territories are ranked in the index.

Globally, the average score stands at 42 out of 100, the lowest level in more than a decade, showing a worrying downward trend. More than two-thirds of countries, 122 out of 180, score below 50, indicating that most nations are struggling to control corruption.

For the eighth year in a row, Denmark topped the index with a score of 89, followed closely by Finland with 88 and Singapore with 84. Countries with the lowest scores are mostly those facing severe repression and instability, including South Sudan and Somalia with scores of 9, and Venezuela with 10.

Transparency International said corruption is worsening worldwide, including in established democracies. The number of countries scoring above 80 has dropped from 12 a decade ago to just five this year. Countries such as the United States (64), Canada (75), New Zealand (81), the United Kingdom (70), France (66), and Sweden (80) have all seen declines.

The report also highlights shrinking civic space. Since 2012, 36 of the 50 countries with major drops in CPI scores have also seen reduced freedoms of expression, association, and assembly.

The CPI measures several forms of public sector corruption, including bribery, misuse of public funds, officials using power for private gain, weak enforcement against corruption, excessive red tape, nepotism in public service, lack of financial disclosure laws, poor protection for whistleblowers, state capture by vested interests, and limited access to public information.

Sri Lanka’s improved ranking signals positive movement, though experts say sustained reforms and transparency are needed to maintain progress.