The US has received its lowest-ever Corruption Perceptions Index score on the scale set up by Transparency International, a well-respected movement working to end corruption across the world. It joins 47 other countries that have received their lowest-ever scores, representing its most corrupt point since the index was established in 2012.
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is the most widely used global corruption ranking in the world. It measures the perceived levels of corruption of a country’s public sector based on the views of experts and businesspeople. In this context, corruption is defined as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain,” according to Transparency International.
Corruption, they argue, has various impacts, including the erosion of trust, the weakening of democracy and the hampering of economic development. It also exacerbates other important issues, such as inequality, poverty, social division, and the environmental crisis.
The US has never been in the top ranking countries for “cleanness” according to the CPI, but its latest result marks its most corrupt point in the index’s history.
Image credit: Graph made by IFLScience with FLourish, data from Transparency International
“Exposing corruption and holding the corrupt to account can only happen if we understand the way corruption works and the systems that enable it,” Transparency International state.
The index takes into account various factors when making an assessment. These include, but are not limited to: evidence of bribery; the division of public funds; officials using public office for private gain without incurring consequences; and nepotistic appointments in the civil service.
In this latest index score, the US received a 65 out of 100 score in its perceived level of public sector corruption, representing a four-point drop since 2023. The US now ranks at number 28 out of 180 countries, and is ranked alongside the Bahamas.
At present, the countries with the highest levels of perceived corruption are Venezuela (10 points), Somalia (9 points) and South Sudan (8 points).
In contrast, the top “cleanest” countries – the ones with the lowest corruption scores – are Denmark (which has been number one for a number of years), Finland, and Singapore.
Take all things with a pinch of salt
The CPI is an influential score for indicating potential corruption in a country, but it has been criticized in the past for several reasons. For one thing, the index represents “perceived” levels of corruption, rather than actual cases of corruption in a given country. This means the result is not necessarily aligned with the situation on the ground and may perpetuate some stereotypes and biases towards some countries.
There are also definition issues at play here, which can lead to shallow or limited views on what types of manifestations count as “corruption” how they impact the country and society more generally. For instance, given the “experts” who are assessing countries are usually people outside of that country, their perspectives on what is a significant issue (bribery, for instance) may differ from those of people living in the country. It also flattens the meaning of “corruption”, representing it as a single score that covers an entire country, rather than seeing it as something that is localized to specific settings or places.
Nevertheless, the index does help focus attention on the issue of international corruption and offers an important attempt to systematically represent it in a comparable way. The new results for the US are therefore valuable indicators of the wider international perception of a country that had a very turbulent 2024.
