The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 once again ranks Denmark as the world’s least corrupt country, with Finland close behind and all Nordic countries remaining in the global top 10. The annual index by Transparency International, published on 10 February, measures perceived public-sector corruption on a 0–100 scale, where higher scores indicate cleaner public institutions.
Denmark keeps first place despite a small dip
Denmark scored 89, down one point from the previous year, but still high enough to retain the top position for the eighth consecutive year. Finland followed with 88, confirming a Nordic pattern of consistently strong performance in public integrity.
A one-point change is not necessarily a sign of a structural shift. The CPI is based on perceptions gathered from multiple expert and business surveys, and small annual fluctuations can reflect changes in assessments, public debate, or measurement noise as much as changes in day-to-day governance.
Nordic countries dominate the global top 10
Beyond Denmark and Finland, the Nordic countries continue to occupy much of the top tier:
- Norway is tied for fourth place with 81, alongside New Zealand.
- Sweden is tied for sixth with 80, alongside Switzerland.
- Iceland is tied for tenth with 77, alongside Germany.
The 2025 top 10 is completed by Singapore (84), Luxembourg (78) and the Netherlands (78). The overall picture underlines that, even with different domestic challenges, Nordic public sectors remain among the most highly trusted worldwide.
What the Corruption Perceptions Index measures and what it does not
The CPI captures perceived corruption risks in the public sector, rather than measuring every form of wrongdoing directly. It is often used as a proxy for institutional strength because it correlates with factors such as judicial independence, transparent procurement, and effective oversight.
Transparency International notes that the global average score is 42/100, and that most countries score below the midpoint of the scale. The report also links declining scores to weakened checks and balances, restrictions on civic space, and pressure on independent media.
Sweden’s warning signs: organised crime and procurement gaps
Sweden’s score of 80 keeps the country among the global top performers, but domestic watchdogs have warned about structural vulnerabilities—particularly in areas where organised crime can exploit welfare systems and public spending.
Ulrik Åshuvud, secretary general of Transparency International Sweden, told Swedish media that other Nordic countries “do not have the same challenges as Sweden when it comes to organized crime and unauthorized influence,” pointing to risks such as infiltration and extortion in parts of the welfare system.
In the same assessment, he highlighted procurement oversight as a recurring weak spot, arguing that Sweden should strengthen transparency around what is procured and improve control in public purchasing.
Why top rankings still require active safeguards
Being at the top of the CPI does not mean corruption is absent. Transparency International stresses that even high-scoring countries can face cross-border corruption risks, including money laundering and complex financial flows that undermine accountability and enable illicit wealth to move across jurisdictions.
For Nordic governments, the CPI results reinforce a key policy lesson: maintaining high trust depends on continuous safeguards—robust procurement systems, transparency in political financing, strong independent oversight, and the capacity to prevent criminal infiltration of public institutions.
EU implications: integrity rules, procurement transparency, and trust
For EU member states, the Nordic cluster at the top of the CPI also connects to broader debates about rule-of-law standards, public procurement transparency, and the resilience of democratic institutions. The contrast with lower-scoring European countries has become part of the EU’s wider discussion on governance reforms, especially as corruption risks intersect with security pressures, organised crime, and the integrity of public spending.
The 2025 CPI results show that the Nordics remain a benchmark for public integrity, but also that small score shifts—and domestic warnings, particularly in Sweden—should be treated as early signals. The political challenge is not only to stay highly ranked, but to keep the institutional conditions that make those rankings possible.
