Mapped: Most Corrupt Countries in the World (CPI 2024)

Corruption remains one of the most persistent challenges facing governments worldwide. From embezzlement of public funds to bribery of officials, corrupt practices drain economies, erode public trust, and undermine democratic institutions. But which countries are perceived as the most corrupt?

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2024, published by Transparency International in February 2025, ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. Scores range from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The global average remains stuck at 43 — unchanged for over a decade — and more than two-thirds of countries score below 50.

CPI 2024 World Map

The map below shows CPI 2024 scores for all 180 ranked countries. Green countries are perceived as least corrupt, while red countries have the highest perceived corruption levels.

Interactive CPI 2024 Map

Hover over any country to see its CPI score and ranking. Green countries are perceived as least corrupt, red countries as most corrupt.

20 Most Corrupt Countries in the World (CPI 2024)

The table below lists the 20 countries with the lowest CPI scores in 2024 — meaning they are perceived as the most corrupt in the world. Most are affected by armed conflict, authoritarian rule, or severely weakened institutions.

Rank	Country	CPI Score (2024)
180	🇸🇸 South Sudan	8
179	🇸🇴 Somalia	9
178	🇻🇪 Venezuela	10
177	🇸🇾 Syria	12
176 (tied)	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	13
176 (tied)	🇪🇷 Eritrea	13
176 (tied)	🇱🇾 Libya	13
176 (tied)	🇾🇪 Yemen	13
175	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	14
174 (tied)	🇰🇵 North Korea	15
174 (tied)	🇸🇩 Sudan	15
173 (tied)	🇭🇹 Haiti	16
173 (tied)	🇲🇲 Myanmar	16
172 (tied)	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	17
172 (tied)	🇧🇮 Burundi	17
172 (tied)	🇹🇲 Turkmenistan	17
171	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	19
170	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	20
169 (tied)	🇰🇭 Cambodia	21
169 (tied)	🇹🇩 Chad	21

Key Findings from CPI 2024

The 2024 CPI reveals several important trends in global corruption:

• Stagnation continues: The global average remains at 43 out of 100 — the same as it has been for over a decade. 148 countries have stagnated or declined since 2012.
• Record lows: Over a quarter of all countries (47 nations) hit their lowest CPI score ever in 2024, including major economies like the United States (65), Germany (75), France (67), and Brazil (34).
• Conflict drives corruption: Countries at the bottom of the index are overwhelmingly affected by armed conflict, authoritarian governance, or state collapse — South Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and Libya all rank among the worst.
• Corruption fuels the climate crisis: The 2024 report highlights how corruption undermines climate action, with funds intended for emission reduction and climate adaptation being stolen or misused. Azerbaijan, host of COP29, scored just 22.
• Significant decliners: 13 countries saw significant score drops over the past 5 years, including Austria (67), Belgium (69), France (67), the United Kingdom (71), Russia (22), and Venezuela (10).

Most Corrupt Countries: Detailed Profiles

1. 🇸🇸 South Sudan — CPI Score: 8

South Sudan is the most corrupt country in the world according to the CPI 2024, scoring just 8 out of 100 — its lowest score ever. The world’s youngest nation, which gained independence in 2011, has been devastated by civil war, ethnic violence, and catastrophic governance failures. Billions of dollars in oil revenue have been looted by political elites, while the vast majority of the population lives in extreme poverty. International investigations have traced stolen funds to luxury properties and bank accounts across East Africa and beyond.

2. 🇸🇴 Somalia — CPI Score: 9

Somalia has ranked near the bottom of the CPI for decades. With a score of 9, the country continues to struggle with clan-based politics, Al-Shabaab insurgency, and a central government that has limited reach beyond Mogadishu. Climate change has devastated the agricultural economy, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. International aid — a critical lifeline — is frequently diverted through corrupt networks, and public institutions remain among the weakest in the world.

3. 🇻🇪 Venezuela — CPI Score: 10

Venezuela recorded its lowest-ever CPI score of 10 in 2024, reflecting the near-total collapse of democratic governance under the Maduro regime. Once one of South America’s wealthiest nations thanks to its oil reserves, Venezuela has seen massive capital flight, hyperinflation, and a humanitarian exodus of over 7 million people. The state oil company PDVSA has been at the center of corruption scandals involving billions of dollars, while the judiciary and legislature operate under executive control.

4. 🇸🇾 Syria — CPI Score: 12

Over a decade of civil war has shattered Syria’s institutions and economy. The Assad regime used corruption as a tool of governance, distributing contracts and resources to loyalists while sanctioned entities found ways to circumvent international restrictions. Reconstruction efforts are plagued by corruption, with regime-connected businesses controlling access to contracts and aid distribution. The country scores 12, reflecting the near-absence of accountability.

5. 🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea — CPI Score: 13

Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in sub-Saharan Africa per capita (thanks to oil reserves), Equatorial Guinea’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of the ruling Obiang family, which has held power since 1979. The regime’s vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, has faced corruption charges in multiple countries for embezzling public funds to finance a lavish lifestyle including supercars, mansions, and Michael Jackson memorabilia. Most citizens live below the poverty line.

6. 🇪🇷 Eritrea — CPI Score: 13

Eritrea is one of the world’s most secretive and authoritarian states. Under President Isaias Afwerki — in power since independence in 1993 — the country has no constitution, no independent judiciary, no free press, and no political opposition. National service, essentially indefinite conscription, functions as forced labor. The government operates with virtually no transparency, making corruption impossible to track but pervasive by all accounts.

7. 🇱🇾 Libya — CPI Score: 13

Since the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been torn between rival governments, militias, and foreign-backed factions. The country’s vast oil wealth has become the primary prize in the conflict, with billions reportedly siphoned off by armed groups and corrupt officials. The Central Bank and National Oil Corporation have faced intense scrutiny over opaque financial dealings. Libya’s score of 13 reflects the near-total absence of functioning governance and accountability.

8. 🇾🇪 Yemen — CPI Score: 13

Yemen’s brutal civil war, now in its tenth year, has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Both the internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels have been accused of diverting humanitarian aid, fuel, and reconstruction funds. Corruption is deeply embedded in the tribal and political structures that predate the conflict, and the war has obliterated what remained of institutional checks and balances.

9. 🇳🇮 Nicaragua — CPI Score: 14

Nicaragua has experienced one of the steepest corruption declines in the Western Hemisphere, dropping from 22 in 2017 to just 14 in 2024. Under President Daniel Ortega, the country has become increasingly authoritarian — opposition leaders have been jailed, NGOs shut down, and independent media silenced. The Ortega family controls vast business interests, and the state operates with minimal transparency or oversight.

10. 🇰🇵 North Korea — CPI Score: 15

North Korea is one of the most opaque countries on earth, making corruption extremely difficult to measure — but experts consistently rate it among the worst. The Kim dynasty controls all aspects of life, and the ruling elite benefits from illicit activities including sanctions evasion, cybercrime, and weapons proliferation. The regime’s “court economy” funnels resources to the leadership while ordinary citizens face chronic food shortages and forced labor.

11. 🇸🇩 Sudan — CPI Score: 15

Sudan’s CPI score dropped sharply to 15 as the country descended into a devastating civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023. Even before the conflict, decades of authoritarian rule under Omar al-Bashir created deeply entrenched corruption networks. The war has destroyed infrastructure, displaced millions, and made any meaningful governance virtually impossible.

12. 🇭🇹 Haiti — CPI Score: 16

Haiti scores a record-low 16, reflecting a country in freefall. Gang violence has effectively paralyzed the capital Port-au-Prince, the government has been non-functional following the assassination of President Moïse in 2021, and billions in earthquake reconstruction aid have been lost to corruption and mismanagement. Haiti exemplifies how corruption and instability create a vicious cycle that traps populations in poverty.

13. 🇲🇲 Myanmar — CPI Score: 16

Myanmar’s score has plummeted since the 2021 military coup, falling from 28 in 2020 to just 16 in 2024. The military junta has seized control of the economy, suspended democratic institutions, and launched a brutal crackdown on dissent that has killed thousands. Military-connected companies dominate key sectors including jade mining, timber, and real estate, operating with complete impunity.

14. 🇦🇫 Afghanistan — CPI Score: 17

Afghanistan scores 17 under Taliban rule, which has brought a different but equally problematic form of corruption. While the Taliban claims to have cracked down on petty bribery, the opaque governing structure, opium economy, and complete absence of international oversight create fertile ground for large-scale corruption. Women are excluded from virtually all public life, and the country faces a severe humanitarian crisis.

15. 🇧🇮 Burundi — CPI Score: 17

Burundi is one of the world’s poorest nations, and corruption pervades nearly every level of government. The ruling party, CNDD-FDD, has consolidated power through intimidation, and public procurement processes are widely considered fraudulent. International sanctions and donor withdrawal have further weakened oversight mechanisms, while the population faces extreme poverty and food insecurity.

16. 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan — CPI Score: 17

Turkmenistan is a personality-cult dictatorship where the ruling family controls the country’s vast natural gas reserves with zero accountability. The country has no free press, no independent civil society, and no political opposition. Government statistics are widely considered fabricated, and the true state of the economy is unknown. International observers have documented widespread forced labor in the cotton harvest.

10 Least Corrupt Countries (CPI 2024)

For comparison, here are the countries perceived as the least corrupt in the world:

Rank	Country	CPI Score (2024)
1	🇩🇰 Denmark	90
2	🇫🇮 Finland	88
3	🇸🇬 Singapore	84
4	🇳🇿 New Zealand	83
5 (tied)	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	81
5 (tied)	🇳🇴 Norway	81
5 (tied)	🇨🇭 Switzerland	81
8	🇸🇪 Sweden	80
9	🇳🇱 Netherlands	78
10 (tied)	🇦🇺 Australia	77
10 (tied)	🇮🇸 Iceland	77
10 (tied)	🇮🇪 Ireland	77

Denmark has topped the CPI for seven consecutive years with a score of 90. However, Transparency International notes that even top-scoring countries are not immune to corruption — many serve as financial hubs that attract illicit funds from corrupt regimes, and some have poor records of prosecuting foreign bribery.

How is the CPI Calculated?

The Corruption Perceptions Index draws on 13 independent data sources from 12 institutions, including the World Bank, World Economic Forum, Economist Intelligence Unit, and Freedom House. These sources assess expert and business perceptions of public sector corruption in each country.

The methodology includes evaluating factors such as:

• Bribery of public officials
• Diversion and embezzlement of public funds
• Use of public office for private gain
• Nepotism in civil service appointments
• State capture by private interests
• Effectiveness of anti-corruption measures
• Judicial independence and integrity

Countries must be assessed by at least three independent sources to be included. It’s important to note that the CPI measures perceived corruption in the public sector — it does not capture private sector corruption, money laundering through financial centers, or bribery by multinational companies abroad.

Frequently Asked Questions