Cyprus ranks 49th out of 182 countries in the corruption index for 2025, dropping three places compared with 2024, according to Transparency International’s latest findings released on Tuesday.
The country scored 55 points, down from 56 last year, on a scale where 100 represents countries free of corruption and zero indicates extremely corrupt systems.
How the index measures corruption
The Corruption Perceptions Index evaluates how corrupt a country’s public sector is considered by experts and business executives. It assesses bribery, misuse of public funds, officials using office for private gain without consequences, and governments’ ability to control corruption.
The index also examines excessive bureaucracy that may create opportunities for corruption, nepotistic recruitment in public administration, financial disclosure laws for public officials, conflicts of interest, legal protection for whistleblowers, state capture by powerful private interests, and access to public information.
However, it does not measure citizens’ direct experiences of corruption, tax evasion, illicit financial flows, facilitators such as lawyers or financial advisers, money laundering, private-sector corruption, or informal economies.
Global leaders and lowest performers
Countries with the highest scores include Denmark, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany and Iceland.
At the bottom of the ranking are North Korea, Syria, Nicaragua, Sudan, Eritrea, Libya, Yemen, Venezuela, Somalia and South Sudan.
Global decline raises concern
Transparency International warns that the global order faces pressure from great-power rivalry and growing disregard for international rules. Armed conflicts and the climate crisis continue to have deadly consequences, while societies become increasingly polarised.
To confront these challenges, the report stresses the need for principled leadership and strong, independent institutions that protect the public interest with integrity. Yet failures in good governance and accountable leadership remain widespread.
The global average score fell for the first time in more than a decade, reaching just 42 out of 100. A total of 122 of the 182 countries scored below 50, showing that most nations struggle to keep corruption under control.
At the same time, the number of countries scoring above 80 has shrunk from 12 a decade ago to only five this year. Declining perceived integrity is also evident in the United States, Canada and New Zealand, as well as parts of Europe including the United Kingdom, France and Sweden.
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