UK and US decline to historical levels in global corruption index
According to the 2025 report of Transparency International, the United Kingdom and the USA have fallen to the lowest levels in their history in the Corruption Perception Index. In the global picture marked by the erosion of democratic institutions, political donations and conflicts of interest, it is emphasized that established democracies are losing ground in the fight against corruption.
The United Kingdom and the US have retrated to the lowest rankings in their history in the global corruption index. This decline reflects the dramatic erodation of democratic institutions through political donations, “cash for access” schemes, and the government targeting of those who run activities and journalists.
The Corruption Perception Index prepared by Transparency International ranks 182 countries according to the evaluations of experts and the business world on public sector corruption.
In the 2025 ranking, Denmark topped with the lowest level of corruption, while South Sudan and Somalia shared the last place.
In the report, a global decline was detected in which the score of 50 countries worsened, while only 31 countries made progress.
Pointing out that particularly worrying back steps were seen in "settled democracies", the organization warned that the developments in Donald Trump's presidency and the information leaking from Epstein files could further accelerate this deterioration.
Britain, which has experienced a steady decline in the ranking since 2015, fell to the seventh place 20th with its score from 71 in the previous year to 70 in 2025.
Big money in politics fuels the decline in Britain
According to Transparency International, this regression is due to concerns about both main parties competing in the 2024 general election.
Record election activity spending increased dependence on wealthy supporters. The most concrete example of this is that the Conservative Party received a donation of 15 million pounds from billionaire Frank Hester in less than 12 months.
After The Guardian revealed that Hester used racist and sexist expressions, calls were made to return the party the funds.
The report also included allegations that Elon Musk, the world's richest person, was considering donating $100 million to the Reform UK party.
The Labor Party, on the other hand, was under investigation for granting privileged access to the Prime Minister's Residence to its largest donor, Waheed Alli. The appointment of party donors to political authorities has also been the focus of criticism.
Transparency International warned that the United Kingdom is at risk of "getting stuck in scandal" because of the revelations about Peter Mandelson, one of the heavyweights of the Labour Party, about his relationship with pedophile prostitution network manager Jeffrey Epstein.
US got the lowest score in its history in the corruption index
The USA fell behind Lithuania from 28th to 29th place and reached the lowest level in its history with 64 points.
Although the survey data have been collected throughout 2025, it is stated that Trump has not yet fully reflected the events in his second presidency.
Transparency International emphasized worrying trends such as the use of public authorities to target and restrict independent voices such as non-governmental organizations and journalists, the normalization of conflict of interest and “take-and-give”-oriented politics, the politicization of prosecutorial decisions and actions that undermine judicial independence.
In the index, where only seven countries scored 80 and above, Denmark maintained its leadership for the eighth time in a row, followed by Finland, Singapore, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
Warning that the global order is under pressure due to competition between great powers and the dangerous disregard of international norms, the organization noted that principled leaders and strong, independent institutions are needed to protect the public interest.