U.S. slips to new low in international corruption index
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The United States was perceived as the most corrupt it's been since 2012 in a watchdog group's annual index of nations around the globe.
The big picture: The U.S. received its lowest ever Corruption Perceptions Index score since Transparency International's current scale was established in 2012, according to the group's annual global ranking of public sector corruption across 180 countries released Tuesday.
- The U.S. was one of 47 countries that received its lowest score yet — effectively, its most corrupt point.
- The U.S. has not cracked the top 20 "cleanest" countries, based on corruption perception score, since 2017.
By the numbers: The U.S. received a 65 out of 100 in its perceived level of public sector corruption, a four-point drop since 2023.
- According to Transparency International, the CPI ranks countries and territories based on the levels of public-sector corruption perceived by experts and businesspeople.
- The U.S. ranks no. 28 among 180 countries and is tied with the Bahamas.
Zoom out: Denmark, Finland and Singapore are the top three cleanest countries.
- This is the seventh year in a row that Denmark has led the pack.
- Venezuela, Somalia and South Sudan make up the bottom three, or most corrupt, scorers.
Context: While it's not clear what exact factors contributed to the United States' decline, Transparency International highlighted "undue influence" by industries that undermines climate and environmental policy in countries with both low and high levels of corruption.
- It was also a year that saw an unprecedented election cycle. In May, then-former President Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts, the first time for any former or sitting U.S. president, before being re-elected in November. A tense transition of power followed before then-President Biden pardoned his son.
- This score does not reflect the beginning of 2025, as some U.S. lawmakers have warned the upheaval of civil service and freezing of federal funds is sending the country barreling toward a constitutional crisis.
Go deeper: Mapped: The world's most and least corrupt countries
