Global Corruption Index: World’s most and least corrupt countries ranked: Check India’s position here

India, sharing space with the Maldives, Kazakhstan, and Lesotho, secured 93rd position out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the year 2023, according to Transparency International, a global civil society annual index. In 2022, India held the 85th position, sharing it with five other countries, including the Maldives. Despite a decline in rank, attributed to global movements, India's score dropped only by one point from the previous year, settling at 39 on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

Denmark topped the CPI-2023 with a score of 90, maintaining its position for the sixth consecutive year. Finland and New Zealand secured the second and third ranks with scores of 87 and 85, respectively. Somalia occupied the last position, with other countries at the bottom, including Venezuela, Syria, South Sudan, and Yemen, all affected by prolonged crises, primarily armed conflicts.

Regarding India's slight drop in score from 40 to 39 in the current index, Transparency International notes that the fluctuations are minimal, making it challenging to draw firm conclusions about any significant changes. However, the report highlights a narrowing of civic space in India, particularly with the passage of the Telecommunications Bill, posing a potential threat to fundamental rights ahead of the elections.

Transparency International emphasised that the results of CPI-2023 indicated minimal progress in addressing public sector corruption globally, as the average global score remains unchanged at 43 for the twelfth consecutive year, with over two-thirds of countries scoring below 50. 

In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, the average CPI score remained stagnant at 45 for five consecutive years. India's score of 39 fell below this regional average. Notable scores in the Asia-Pacific region include New Zealand at rank three with a score of 85, while Singapore and Australia secured ranks five and fourteen with scores of 83 and 75, respectively. India's neighbours, Pakistan and China, scored 29 (rank 133) and 42 (rank 76), respectively, in CPI-2023.