Significant 73-point gap between Bhutan and Maldives in regional corruption rankings!
Maldives and India are tied at 91st place in Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, while Sri Lanka recorded the most significant progress in the region. Highlighting a global decline in integrity, the report identifies the erosion of civil liberties and the weakening of public institutions as primary drivers of rising corruption, prompting an urgent call for world leaders to strengthen justice systems and safeguard press freedom.
In a corrupt transaction, an individual is seen handing over an envelope containing bribe money to another person. | iStock | iStock
A significant gap of 73 points has been revealed between Bhutan and the Maldives in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the global benchmark for measuring the prevalence of corruption. Bhutan emerged as the top performer in the South Asian region according to the index.
Bhutan achieved the best results in the region, securing 18th place with a total of 71 points.
While India and the Maldives are ranked second within the region, both countries sit significantly lower on the global scale, placing 91st with a score of 39 points.
Denmark has secured the top position in the annual CPI, published by Transparency International to measure global corruption levels. Finland followed in second place, while Singapore ranked third.
According to a report released on Tuesday, Sri Lanka has shown the most significant improvement in combating corruption within the South Asian region. The country climbed 14 positions in the 2025 index compared to the previous year. Having previously been ranked 121st, Sri Lanka rose to 107th place in the 2025 report, securing a score of 35 points.
Looking at other countries in the region, Nepal is ranked 109th with 34 points, while Pakistan holds the 136th position with 28 points. Bangladesh sits at the bottom of the regional rankings, placing 150th with 24 points.
Transparency International has highlighted that the global average score in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has declined to 42, with 182 countries and territories ranked in the latest assessment. According to the report, 122 countries scored below 50, a result the organization states reflects a pervasive and severe level of corruption within public institutions worldwide.
A decade ago, twelve countries maintained scores above 80, but that number has now dwindled to just five. The report highlights that the declining scores of previously stable democracies with low corruption levels demonstrate that even nations with robust institutions remain vulnerable to the threat of corruption.
Transparency International has noted that countries restricting civil liberties are losing their ability to control corruption. Specifically, 36 of the 50 countries that saw the most significant declines in the index are those where freedoms have been curtailed. Furthermore, the organization highlighted that more than 90 percent of journalists murdered while investigating corruption cases were from countries that scored poorly on the index.
Transparency International has called on world leaders to strengthen judicial independence and institutional oversight, ensure transparency in political financing, protect press freedom, and curb cross-border money laundering activities.
