Romania falls in Transparency International's corruption perception index and reaches the same level as two African countries

Romania ranks 70th out of 182 countries in the Corruption Perception Index compiled by the Transparency International organization, with a score decreasing compared to the previous year's ranking, of 45 points, which places it on a par with Benin and Sao Tome and Principe, two African countries, informs News.ro.

The report for the year 2024 places Romania in 69th place, with a score of 46 points out of a possible 100. A score between 43 and 47 points is considered a “confidence interval” in this year's report.

How the Transparency International Index is made

The best score recorded by Romania in the Transparency Index, starting from 2012, when the current methodology is used, was 48 points, in 2016 and 2017, and the lowest score was 43 points, recorded in 2013 and 2014.

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is the most widely used global ranking of corruption in the world. It measures the perceived degree of corruption of the public sector in each country, according to experts and business people.

Each country's score is a combination of at least three sources of data drawn from 13 different corruption surveys and assessments. These data sources are collected by a number of reputable institutions, including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.

A country's score is the perceived level of corruption in the public sector on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 means very corrupt and 100 means very clean. Fluctuations or small changes in a country's CPI score are usually not significant, which is why, each year, in the full table of results, all countries that have undergone a “statistically significant” change are marked, says Transparency.

The CPI is a very useful global indicator, but it is limited to the perception of experts and businessmen on corruption in the public sector. The data sources used to compile the CPI specifically cover the following manifestations of corruption in the public sector:

• bribery
• Misappropriation of public funds
• Officials who use their public office to obtain private benefits without suffering consequences
• The ability of governments to limit corruption in the public sector
• Excessive bureaucracy in the public sector, which can increase opportunities for corruption
• Nepotistic appointments in public office
• Laws that guarantee public officials must disclose their financial situation and potential conflicts of interest
• Legal protection of persons who report cases of bribery and corruption
• Capture of the state by narrow interests
• Access to information on public affairs/government activities

Romania is doing better than neighboring countries

The best ranked country in the 2025 Transparency Index is Denmark, with a score of 89 points (down one point). It is followed by Finland (score: 88), Singapore (84), New Zealand (81), Norway (81), Sweden (80), Switzerland (80), Luxembourg (78), the Netherlands (78), Germany (77) and Iceland (77).

Romania is the best, however, in the ranking, in relation to its neighbors – Moldova is on 80th place, with 42 points, Bulgaria and Hungary are both on 84th, with the same score – 40, Serbia is on 116th (score 33).

Ukraine, which is at war but has had major corruption scandals, is in 104th place, with 36 points. At the bottom of the ranking is South Sudan.

Corruption remains a serious threat in all parts of the world, although there are limited signs of progress, says Transparency International in the release accompanying the 2025 Index.

The USA and the UK fall in the ranking

Britain (20th place, score 70) and the United States (29th place, score 64) hit new lows in this global corruption index, amid a “worrying trend” of the erosion of democratic institutions through political donations, access bribes and state targeting of activists and journalists. In particular, this year's report identified a regression in established democracies, warning that events during the presidency of Donald Trump and the revelations contained in the Epstein files could fuel an even greater deterioration, writes The Guardian.

“We are seeing a worrying trend of long-term decline in anti-corruption leadership. Even established democracies, such as the US, UK and New Zealand, are experiencing a decline in performance. The absence of courageous leadership is leading to a weakening of standards and law enforcement, reducing the ambition of anti-corruption efforts around the world,” says Transparency International.

“At the same time, many states impose increasingly severe restrictions on civic space. By making it difficult or dangerous for citizens, NGOs and journalists to challenge abuses of power, they reduce transparency and accountability. This allows corruption to flourish,” the NGO points out.

While 31 countries have significantly reduced their levels of corruption since 2012, the rest are failing to combat the problem – remaining stagnant or worsening over the same period. The global average fell to a new low of 42, while more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50. And people are paying the price, as corruption leads to underfunded hospitals, unbuilt flood defenses and destroys the hopes and dreams of young people, says Transparency International.