Sri Lanka Rises to 107th in 2025 Corruption Index

Sri Lanka improved its standing in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), climbing 14 places to rank 107th out of 180 countries, according to the latest report by Transparency International. However, despite the improvement, the ranking remains the country’s third worst in a decade.

Sri Lanka’s score increased to 35 in 2025 from 32 in 2024, when it was ranked 121st — its lowest position since 2002. The three-point gain signals a modest recovery in perceptions of public sector integrity.

In recent years, rankings have fluctuated significantly. Sri Lanka placed 94th in 2023, 93rd in 2022, 89th in 2021 and 91st in 2020. Earlier positions included 115th in 2018 and 95th in 2019, reflecting volatility rather than a sustained trend. While the move to 107th reverses last year’s sharp decline, it does not restore the stronger standings seen between 2020 and 2022.

Since 2002, Sri Lanka’s average ranking has been 89.71, with its best performance of 52nd recorded in 2002.

The CPI measures perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 indicates “highly corrupt” and 100 denotes “very clean.” Despite the latest improvement, Sri Lanka’s score of 35 remains below the global average of 43, underscoring ongoing governance and accountability challenges.

The index is compiled using 13 external data sources, including assessments from institutions such as the World Bank and the World Economic Forum. It evaluates factors such as bribery, misuse of public funds, anti-corruption enforcement, legal safeguards, access to information, and protections for whistle-blowers and journalists.

Globally, Denmark topped the index for the eighth consecutive year with a score of 89, followed by Finland at 88 and Singapore at 84. South Sudan and Somalia ranked among the lowest, each scoring 9.