Feb. 10 (UPI) — The United States is at its worst ranking ever on a global corruption perception list released Tuesday that measures how independent experts and businesspeople see countries’ corruption.
The country slipped one step to 29th place out of 182 in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. It’s the lowest rank for the United States since the index changed its methodology in 2012.
The United States is now tied with the Bahamas and is outranked by Uruguay, Lithuania and the United Arab Emirates.
“We are very concerned about the situation in the United States,” Transparency International CEO Maíra Martini told CNN. “This declining trend might continue.”
The ranking has been trending downward for the past 10 years. Last year, it took a hit when President Donald Trump paused investigations into corporate foreign bribery and cut enforcement of a foreign agent registration law and other moves, CNN reported.
“We’re seeing a concerning picture of long-term decline in leadership to tackle corruption. Even established democracies, like the U.S., [United Kingdom] and New Zealand, are experiencing a drop in performance,” the organization said. “The absence of bold leadership is leading to weaker standards and enforcement, lowering ambition on anti-corruption efforts around the world.”
The United States’ score also took a hit, coming in at 64 out of 100, where 100 is “very clean.” The country’s highest score was 75 in 2015. A score of 0 would be “highly corrupt.”
The country with the highest score was Denmark at 89 and the top rank, which it has held for eight years in a row. At the bottom were South Sudan and Somalia, tied for last with scores of 9, though South Sudan moved its score up by one point.
Transparency International added that the United States is adding to the concern.
“Although 2025 developments are not yet fully reflected, actions targeting independent voices and undermining judicial independence raise serious concerns.”
Other issues plague the U.S. ranking, the organization said.
“Beyond the CPI findings, the temporary freeze and weakening of enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act signal tolerance for corrupt business practices, while cuts to U.S. aid for overseas civil society have weakened global anti-corruption efforts,” it said in a statement.
Finland was ranked second with a score of 88, and Singapore was third with a score of 84, followed by New Zealand with 81.
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