Key Points:
- Afghanistan ranks 169th out of 182 countries in Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index.
- CPI score falls to 16, marking a continued decline under Taliban rule.
- Afghanistan remains among the world’s most corrupt countries, near the bottom of the global ranking.
- Global average CPI score drops to 42, signaling weakening anti-corruption efforts worldwide.
KABUL: Afghanistan ranked 169th out of 182 countries in Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, placing it among the worst-performing nations globally as its score fell to 16 out of 100, reflecting deepening governance and accountability challenges under Taliban rule.
According to the Berlin-based watchdog’s annual report released on Tuesday, Afghanistan scored 16 out of 100, placing it 169th among 182 countries and territories surveyed worldwide.
This marks a decline from 2024, when the country scored 17 points and ranked 165th, and continues a downward trend observed over recent years.
Transparency International measures perceived levels of public-sector corruption on a scale of zero to 100, where zero indicates extremely high corruption and 100 reflects a very clean public sector.
The latest ranking shows Afghanistan’s corruption score has steadily worsened since the Taliban returned to power. The country scored 20 points in 2023, ranking 162nd, and 24 points in 2022, when it stood at 150th place.
In contrast, Denmark, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, and Norway were ranked as the least corrupt countries globally in the 2025 index. At the bottom of the scale, South Sudan, Somalia, Venezuela, Yemen, and Libya were listed among the world’s most corrupt nations.
Beyond Afghanistan, the report highlights a troubling global trend, noting that for the first time in more than a decade, the global average CPI score fell to 42 out of 100. Transparency International said the decline signals a worldwide weakening of efforts to combat corruption.
The report revealed that 122 out of 182 countries scored below 50, indicating widespread public-sector corruption. Only five countries scored above 80, compared to 12 countries a decade ago, reflecting shrinking global progress on governance and accountability.
Transparency International warned that countries which restrict civic space often struggle to control corruption. Among the 50 countries with the sharpest declines, 36 have imposed restrictions on civil liberties.
The organisation also noted that more than 90 percent of journalists killed while investigating corruption were based in countries with low CPI scores.
Fragile and conflict-affected states such as Afghanistan remain particularly vulnerable.
The report cited limited civic space, weak checks and balances, opaque political financing, and the absence of independent judicial institutions as key factors contributing to persistent corruption under Taliban administration.
The index also showed declining scores in several democracies, including the United States (64), Canada (75), the United Kingdom (70), France (66), Sweden (80), and New Zealand (81), underscoring that corruption risks are rising even in countries with historically strong institutions.
Transparency International urged governments worldwide to strengthen judicial independence, improve transparency in political financing, protect media freedom, and intensify efforts against cross-border illicit financial flows to reverse the global decline.
