Corruption Perceptions Index 2025: India's 91st Rank – UPSC Current Affairs

In the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 released by Transparency International, India ranked 91st out of 182 countries, registering a score of 39. This is a slight improvement from its previous 96th rank and score of 38, but India still remains below the global average score of 42, which is considered the lowest global average in the past ten years.

What is the CPI and who releases it?

The Corruption Perceptions Index is an annual index released by the non-governmental organization Transparency International, which ranks countries based on the perceived level of public sector corruption. It is prepared using surveys of experts and the business community, drawing from up to 13 data sources.

In the CPI, countries are scored on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 means highly corrupt and 100 means a very clean public sector. In the 2024 report, 180 countries were ranked, whereas the latest reports have assessed 182 countries and territories, including India.

India's Position in CPI 2025: 91st Rank, Score 39

In CPI 2025, India secured the 91st rank among 182 countries with a score of 39. This score is one point higher than last year's 38, improving India's rank from 96 to 91. Despite this, India is still below the global average of 42, indicating that the perception of corruption remains a structural challenge in the country.

India's CPI Performance (2022–2025)

It is clear from the table above that between 2022 and 2024, India's score dropped from 40 to 38, while in 2025 it returned to 39. Overall, however, in the last decade, India's CPI score has remained stuck in a narrow range of 38–41.

Key Points for Exams (India)

India's rank in CPI 2025: 91/182, Score: 39.

Previous year (CPI 2024): 96/180, Score: 38.

India in 2023: 93/180, Score 39; in 2022: 85/180, Score 40.

India's score is still below the global average of 42, placing it in the category of "medium to high corruption perception."

For background, data, and practice questions related to India-CPI on Atharva Examwise, see:

India and Global Indices – UPSC Prelims Notes

Governance & Corruption – GS-2 Mains Notes

Global Scenario: What signals does CPI 2025 provide?

The global average score in CPI 2025 has dropped to 42, which is considered the lowest level in the last ten years. This means that, overall, anti-corruption efforts in most countries have either stalled or are moving backward.

According to the reports, nearly two-thirds of the total countries have a score below 50, pointing to high levels of perceived public sector corruption in large parts of the world. In the Asia-Pacific region as well, improvement has been very slow, and many democratic countries have witnessed an erosion of institutional standards, opacity in political funding, and pressure on civil liberties.

Least Corrupt Countries with an 80+ Score

In recent CPI reports, a few countries have consistently remained at the top with scores of 80 or above, making them the least corrupt countries in the world—such as Denmark, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the 2024 and 2025 reports, Denmark has held the first place for several years, while Finland and Singapore usually rank second or third.

Characteristics of these countries (important for exams):

Strong, independent judiciary and regulatory bodies.

Transparent political funding and strict conflict-of-interest rules.

High levels of press freedom and civil society activism.

Major Reasons for the Persistence of Corruption in India

According to Transparency International and other analyses, there are several structural reasons for the persistence of perceived corruption in India.

Key Factors (Useful points for Mains):

Bureaucratic Red Tape and Complex Procedures: Excessive regulations and lengthy approval processes create room for "gatekeeping" and bribery.

Opacity in Political Funding: A lack of transparency in the electoral funding mechanism increases "crony capitalism" and the influence of money on policymaking.

Uneven and Weak Enforcement of Law: Delays in investigations and trials in high-profile cases, along with low conviction rates, send a message of impunity.

Lack of Protection for Journalists and Whistleblowers: The CPI report highlights that the risk of attacks on investigative journalists and those exposing corruption is higher in many low-scoring countries, and India is counted among them.

Questions on the Autonomy of Constitutional and Regulatory Bodies: In many countries, including India, reports have indicated that a perception of political influence over the independence of investigative agencies and other institutions persists.

You can directly quote these points in GS-2 (Governance), GS-4 (Ethics), and essays under topics like "Corruption, Ethical Governance, and Institutional Reforms."

Suggested Measures for Reform (Exam-Oriented Approach)

International and Indian sources emphasize the following types of reforms, which you can use as a "Way Forward" in your answers:

Complete Transparency in Political Funding: Steps toward "Clean Money-Clean Politics" through public disclosure of donations, robust audits, and electoral reforms.

Real Autonomy for Investigative Agencies: Minimizing political interference in appointments, securing tenure, and ensuring independent funding.

Strict Implementation of Whistleblower and Journalist Protection Laws: Legal guarantees for the identity, employment, and physical safety of those who expose information.

Digitization and Process-Reengineering: Increasing "transparency" by reducing "discretion" through e-Governance, DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer), online approval systems, etc.

Strengthening Civic Space and RTI: The stronger the monitoring capacity of citizens, media, and civil society, the better corruption can be controlled.

For detailed notes related to these reforms on Atharva Examwise, see:

Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude – GS-4 Handwritten Notes

Election Funding & Electoral Reforms – GS-2 Topic Guide

Potential Prelims and Mains Angles Based on CPI

Prelims-Oriented Fact Points

Who releases the CPI? – Transparency International (NGO).

What is the score scale? – 0 (most corrupt) to 100 (cleanest).

What does the CPI measure? – Perceived corruption in the public sector.

India's rank and score in CPI 2025 – 91 and 39 (out of 182 countries).

Global average score – 42, which is the lowest level in the last decade (according to CPI 2025).

Mains-Oriented Themes

"Corruption and the Erosion of Democracy" – The relationship between the CPI and democratic indicators.

"Institutional Integrity and Accountability" – Lessons from the success of top countries.

"India’s CPI performance and the challenge of governance reforms" – Possibility of a direct question in GS-2.

Why this matters for your exam preparation

Facts and analyses related to CPI 2025 are directly linked to the syllabus of UPSC Prelims, Mains, and other competitive exams. In Prelims, this can be asked as a factual question under "Indices/Reports" and "Important International Organisations"—such as the releasing body, score scale, India's rank/score, or the global average.

In Mains GS-2 (Governance, Transparency & Accountability) and GS-4 (Ethics), you can use CPI data to enrich your answers on topics like corruption, institutional reform, political funding, media freedom, and whistleblower protection, especially in "critically analyse" and "discuss" type questions. While writing essays on topics like "Corruption and Development," "Crisis of Public Morality," or "Good Governance," examples of India's CPI trend (2022–2025) and top countries make your answers data-rich and more credible.

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