Corruption, Italia's perception index continues to worsen

Italia's score in the Corruption Perception Index (Cpi) in the public sector continues to fall: from 54 in 2024, it drops to 53 in the 2025 edition published by Transparency International. This confirms the 52nd position in the global ranking of 182 countries/territories worldwide (on a scale from 0, high level of perceived corruption, to 100, low level of perceived corruption). Italia is 19th in the European Union where the average score is 62 out of 100. Among OECD countries, it is 31st out of 38.

According to Transparency International, Italy's corruption prevention system is suffering from the repercussions of weakening anti-corruption measures, including the depenalisation of abuse of office. In 2024, the national score had undergone its first reversal since 2012, after a thirteen-year growth of +14 points.

At the global level, Denmark is again in first place with a score of 89 - on a scale ranging from 0 (high level of perceived corruption) to 100 (low level) - while South Sudan remains in last place. According to the report, corruption is worsening worldwide with corrupt phenomena also increasing in established democracies.

The Cpi 2025 global data show that democracies, "usually stronger in the fight against corruption than autocracies or imperfect democracies, are experiencing a worrying decline in performance". A trend that affects countries such as the United States (64), Canada (75) and New Zealand (81), as well as various parts of Europe, such as the United Kingdom (70), France (66) and Sweden (80). Also on the rise are "restrictions by many states on freedom of expression, association and assembly. Since 2012, 36 of the 50 countries with significant declines in Cpi scores have also experienced a reduction in civic space'.