Control of Corruption by Country
What Is Control of Corruption?
Control of Corruption measures the extent to which public power is exercised for private gain, including petty and grand forms of corruption and state capture. It is part of the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators, with scores typically ranging from -2.5 (weak control) to 2.5 (strong control). Higher scores indicate more effective corruption prevention and enforcement.
Why Control of Corruption Matters to a Country’s Progress
- Reflects governance integrity, since strong control reduces bribery and rent-seeking in public institutions.
- Encourages investment, as businesses seek stable environments where officials do not exploit their authority.
- Builds public trust, because effective anti-corruption measures strengthen confidence in government services and rule of law.
How to Read the Rankings
- A higher score indicates stronger control of corruption, while a lower score signals pervasive corruption risks.
- “Most Recent Year” shows the latest annual score; “Change” shows the difference from the prior year’s value.
- Year-to-year shifts can result from policy reforms, major scandals, or improved data collection rather than long-term trends.
Implications for Policy & Society
- Low scores often prompt governments to strengthen audit institutions, implement transparency initiatives, and enforce anti-corruption laws.
- High scores can attract foreign investment and support economic growth, as investors view corruption control as a sign of stability.
- Persistent low rankings highlight the need for judicial reforms, independent oversight bodies, and civic education to reduce graft.
- Monitoring annual changes helps assess the effectiveness of anti-corruption campaigns and guides resource allocation to governance programs.
Ranking Highlights
- Micronesia tops the progress rankings in Control of Corruption, recording an increase from 0.48 to 0.78. Comoros follows with a gain from -1.24 to -0.99, while Costa Rica rounds out the top three, rising from 0.47 to 0.65.
- Across all 193 countries, the average year-over-year change was +0.00 pts with a median change of +0.01 pts.
- Overall, 100 countries improved in this area while 77 worsened. Click on a country to open the full country scorecard and see how it performs across a range of key indicators.
| Rank | Country | Most Recent Year | Previous Year | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Micronesia | 0.78 (2023) | 0.48 (2022) | +0.30 pts |
| 2 |  Comoros | -0.99 (2023) | -1.24 (2022) | +0.25 pts |
| 3 |  Costa Rica | 0.65 (2023) | 0.47 (2022) | +0.18 pts |
| 4 |  Saudi Arabia | 0.54 (2023) | 0.36 (2022) | +0.18 pts |
| 5 |  Samoa | 0.73 (2023) | 0.55 (2022) | +0.18 pts |
| 6 |  Kiribati | 0.41 (2023) | 0.24 (2022) | +0.17 pts |
| 7 |  Oman | 0.22 (2023) | 0.05 (2022) | +0.17 pts |
| 8 |  South Korea | 0.89 (2023) | 0.75 (2022) | +0.14 pts |
| 9 |  Fiji | 0.51 (2023) | 0.39 (2022) | +0.12 pts |
| 10 |  Czech Republic | 0.77 (2023) | 0.66 (2022) | +0.11 pts |
| 11 |  Rwanda | 0.67 (2023) | 0.56 (2022) | +0.11 pts |
| 12 |  Tonga | -0.31 (2023) | -0.42 (2022) | +0.11 pts |
| 13 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | -0.58 (2023) | -0.68 (2022) | +0.10 pts |
| 14 |  Brunei | 1.28 (2023) | 1.18 (2022) | +0.10 pts |
| 15 |  Hungary | 0.00 (2023) | -0.10 (2022) | +0.10 pts |
| 16 |  Peru | -0.72 (2023) | -0.81 (2022) | +0.09 pts |
| 17 |  Argentina | -0.36 (2023) | -0.45 (2022) | +0.09 pts |
| 18 |  Guatemala | -1.12 (2023) | -1.21 (2022) | +0.09 pts |
| 19 |  Nigeria | -1.04 (2023) | -1.13 (2022) | +0.09 pts |
| 20 |  Grenada | 0.56 (2023) | 0.48 (2022) | +0.08 pts |
| 21 |  Kuwait | 0.21 (2023) | 0.13 (2022) | +0.08 pts |
| 22 |  Slovakia | 0.29 (2023) | 0.21 (2022) | +0.08 pts |
| 23 |  Albania | -0.33 (2023) | -0.41 (2022) | +0.08 pts |
| 24 |  El Salvador | -0.56 (2023) | -0.64 (2022) | +0.08 pts |
| 25 |  Mongolia | -0.49 (2023) | -0.56 (2022) | +0.07 pts |
| 26 |  Senegal | 0.06 (2023) | -0.01 (2022) | +0.07 pts |
| 27 |  Brazil | -0.50 (2023) | -0.57 (2022) | +0.07 pts |
| 28 |  Guinea | -0.90 (2023) | -0.97 (2022) | +0.07 pts |
| 29 |  Barbados | 1.34 (2023) | 1.28 (2022) | +0.06 pts |
| 30 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo | -1.48 (2023) | -1.54 (2022) | +0.06 pts |
| 31 |  Somalia | -1.73 (2023) | -1.79 (2022) | +0.06 pts |
| 32 |  Greece | 0.10 (2023) | 0.04 (2022) | +0.06 pts |
| 33 |  Moldova | -0.28 (2023) | -0.34 (2022) | +0.06 pts |
| 34 |  Poland | 0.57 (2023) | 0.51 (2022) | +0.06 pts |
| 35 |  Bolivia | -0.84 (2023) | -0.89 (2022) | +0.05 pts |
| 36 |  Algeria | -0.59 (2023) | -0.64 (2022) | +0.05 pts |
| 37 |  Luxembourg | 1.93 (2023) | 1.88 (2022) | +0.05 pts |
| 38 |  Tajikistan | -1.38 (2023) | -1.43 (2022) | +0.05 pts |
| 39 |  Colombia | -0.31 (2023) | -0.36 (2022) | +0.05 pts |
| 40 |  Malaysia | 0.30 (2023) | 0.25 (2022) | +0.05 pts |
| 41 |  Solomon Islands | -0.13 (2023) | -0.18 (2022) | +0.05 pts |
| 42 |  Sao Tome and Principe | 0.36 (2023) | 0.31 (2022) | +0.05 pts |
| 43 |  South Africa | -0.28 (2023) | -0.33 (2022) | +0.05 pts |
| 44 |  Israel | 0.83 (2023) | 0.78 (2022) | +0.05 pts |
| 45 |  Liberia | -0.89 (2023) | -0.93 (2022) | +0.04 pts |
| 46 |  Norway | 2.11 (2023) | 2.07 (2022) | +0.04 pts |
| 47 |  Timor-Leste | -0.23 (2023) | -0.27 (2022) | +0.04 pts |
| 48 |  Benin | -0.05 (2023) | -0.09 (2022) | +0.04 pts |
| 49 |  Montenegro | -0.08 (2023) | -0.12 (2022) | +0.04 pts |
| 50 |  Bahrain | 0.18 (2023) | 0.14 (2022) | +0.04 pts |
| 51 |  Papua New Guinea | -0.66 (2023) | -0.70 (2022) | +0.04 pts |
| 52 |  Afghanistan | -1.15 (2023) | -1.18 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 53 |  Côte d'Ivoire | -0.31 (2023) | -0.34 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 54 |  Equatorial Guinea | -1.57 (2023) | -1.60 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 55 |  Lithuania | 0.78 (2023) | 0.75 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 56 |  Mauritius | 0.45 (2023) | 0.42 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 57 |  North Korea | -1.58 (2023) | -1.61 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 58 |  Paraguay | -1.06 (2023) | -1.09 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 59 |  Syria | -1.75 (2023) | -1.78 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 60 |  Yemen | -1.65 (2023) | -1.68 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 61 |  Armenia | 0.06 (2023) | 0.03 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 62 |  Croatia | 0.18 (2023) | 0.15 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 63 |  Tanzania | -0.32 (2023) | -0.35 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 64 |  Botswana | 0.69 (2023) | 0.66 (2022) | +0.03 pts |
| 65 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 0.33 (2023) | 0.31 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 66 |  Australia | 1.78 (2023) | 1.76 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 67 |  Bhutan | 1.53 (2023) | 1.51 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 68 |  Cabo Verde | 0.98 (2023) | 0.96 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 69 |  Gabon | -1.02 (2023) | -1.04 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 70 |  Haiti | -1.44 (2023) | -1.46 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 71 |  Italy | 0.55 (2023) | 0.53 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 72 |  Nepal | -0.51 (2023) | -0.53 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 73 |  Togo | -0.62 (2023) | -0.64 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 74 |  Turkmenistan | -1.42 (2023) | -1.44 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 75 |  Uganda | -1.04 (2023) | -1.06 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 76 |  United States | 1.12 (2023) | 1.10 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 77 |  Zambia | -0.48 (2023) | -0.50 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 78 |  Romania | 0.04 (2023) | 0.02 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 79 |  Vanuatu | -0.01 (2023) | -0.03 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 80 |  Bulgaria | -0.14 (2023) | -0.16 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 81 |  Jordan | 0.09 (2023) | 0.07 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 82 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0.41 (2023) | 0.39 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 83 |  Marshall Islands | 0.41 (2023) | 0.39 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 84 |  Niger | -0.56 (2023) | -0.58 (2022) | +0.02 pts |
| 85 |  Switzerland | 2.02 (2023) | 2.01 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 86 |  Bahamas | 1.27 (2023) | 1.26 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 87 |  Canada | 1.67 (2023) | 1.66 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 88 |  Congo | -1.35 (2023) | -1.36 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 89 |  Cuba | -0.06 (2023) | -0.07 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 90 |  Djibouti | -0.78 (2023) | -0.79 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 91 |  Guinea-Bissau | -1.18 (2023) | -1.19 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 92 |  Kyrgyzstan | -1.22 (2023) | -1.23 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 93 |  Latvia | 0.70 (2023) | 0.69 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 94 |  Mozambique | -0.83 (2023) | -0.84 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 95 |  Malawi | -0.60 (2023) | -0.61 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 96 |  Serbia | -0.45 (2023) | -0.46 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 97 |  Slovenia | 0.78 (2023) | 0.77 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 98 |  Chad | -1.48 (2023) | -1.49 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 99 |  Trinidad and Tobago | -0.37 (2023) | -0.38 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 100 |  Belize | -0.23 (2023) | -0.24 (2022) | +0.01 pts |
| 101 |  Angola | -0.61 (2023) | -0.61 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 102 |  Chile | 0.97 (2023) | 0.97 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 103 |  Dominica | 0.54 (2023) | 0.54 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 104 |  Estonia | 1.54 (2023) | 1.54 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 105 |  Georgia | 0.62 (2023) | 0.62 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 106 |  Gambia | -0.28 (2023) | -0.28 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 107 |  Laos | -0.97 (2023) | -0.97 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 108 |  Libya | -1.53 (2023) | -1.53 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 109 |  Liechtenstein | 1.71 (2023) | 1.71 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 110 |  Sri Lanka | -0.38 (2023) | -0.38 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 111 |  Panama | -0.63 (2023) | -0.63 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 112 |  Philippines | -0.54 (2023) | -0.54 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 113 |  Suriname | -0.40 (2023) | -0.40 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 114 |  Eswatini | -0.73 (2023) | -0.73 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 115 |  Tuvalu | 0.65 (2023) | 0.65 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 116 |  Zimbabwe | -1.26 (2023) | -1.26 (2022) | +0.00 pts |
| 117 |  Sierra Leone | -0.57 (2023) | -0.56 (2022) | -0.01 pts |
| 118 |  Dominican Republic | -0.45 (2023) | -0.44 (2022) | -0.01 pts |
| 119 |  Kenya | -0.77 (2023) | -0.76 (2022) | -0.01 pts |
| 120 |  Mexico | -1.02 (2023) | -1.01 (2022) | -0.01 pts |
| 121 |  Nauru | 0.59 (2023) | 0.60 (2022) | -0.01 pts |
| 122 |  Palau | 0.59 (2023) | 0.60 (2022) | -0.01 pts |
| 123 |  Andorra | 1.25 (2023) | 1.27 (2022) | -0.02 pts |
| 124 |  Denmark | 2.38 (2023) | 2.40 (2022) | -0.02 pts |
| 125 | Ecuador | -0.65 (2023) | -0.63 (2022) | -0.02 pts |
| 126 |  Iceland | 1.55 (2023) | 1.57 (2022) | -0.02 pts |
| 127 |  Monaco | 1.25 (2023) | 1.27 (2022) | -0.02 pts |
| 128 |  Mali | -0.86 (2023) | -0.84 (2022) | -0.02 pts |
| 129 |  San Marino | 1.25 (2023) | 1.27 (2022) | -0.02 pts |
| 130 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0.74 (2023) | 0.76 (2022) | -0.02 pts |
| 131 |  Finland | 2.22 (2023) | 2.25 (2022) | -0.03 pts |
| 132 |  Mauritania | -0.82 (2023) | -0.79 (2022) | -0.03 pts |
| 133 |  North Macedonia | -0.35 (2023) | -0.32 (2022) | -0.03 pts |
| 134 |  China | -0.01 (2023) | 0.02 (2022) | -0.03 pts |
| 135 |  Cameroon | -1.16 (2023) | -1.13 (2022) | -0.03 pts |
| 136 |  Madagascar | -1.00 (2023) | -0.97 (2022) | -0.03 pts |
| 137 |  Portugal | 0.70 (2023) | 0.73 (2022) | -0.03 pts |
| 138 |  Türkiye | -0.50 (2023) | -0.47 (2022) | -0.03 pts |
| 139 |  Sweden | 2.03 (2023) | 2.06 (2022) | -0.03 pts |
| 140 |  Saint Lucia | 0.54 (2023) | 0.58 (2022) | -0.04 pts |
| 141 |  Ethiopia | -0.47 (2023) | -0.43 (2022) | -0.04 pts |
| 142 |  Thailand | -0.49 (2023) | -0.45 (2022) | -0.04 pts |
| 143 |  Ghana | -0.10 (2023) | -0.06 (2022) | -0.04 pts |
| 144 |  Burundi | -1.56 (2023) | -1.52 (2022) | -0.04 pts |
| 145 |  Bangladesh | -1.12 (2023) | -1.08 (2022) | -0.04 pts |
| 146 |  Tunisia | -0.34 (2023) | -0.30 (2022) | -0.04 pts |
| 147 |  Uruguay | 1.57 (2023) | 1.61 (2022) | -0.04 pts |
| 148 |  Venezuela | -1.69 (2023) | -1.65 (2022) | -0.04 pts |
| 149 |  Netherlands | 1.87 (2023) | 1.92 (2022) | -0.05 pts |
| 150 |  Singapore | 2.04 (2023) | 2.09 (2022) | -0.05 pts |
| 151 |  Indonesia | -0.49 (2023) | -0.44 (2022) | -0.05 pts |
| 152 |  India | -0.37 (2023) | -0.32 (2022) | -0.05 pts |
| 153 |  Uzbekistan | -0.81 (2023) | -0.76 (2022) | -0.05 pts |
| 154 |  Spain | 0.63 (2023) | 0.69 (2022) | -0.06 pts |
| 155 |  Ukraine | -0.69 (2023) | -0.63 (2022) | -0.06 pts |
| 156 |  Burkina Faso | -0.17 (2023) | -0.11 (2022) | -0.06 pts |
| 157 |  Central African Republic | -1.31 (2023) | -1.25 (2022) | -0.06 pts |
| 158 |  Cambodia | -1.30 (2023) | -1.24 (2022) | -0.06 pts |
| 159 |  Egypt | -0.75 (2023) | -0.68 (2022) | -0.07 pts |
| 160 |  Maldives | -0.40 (2023) | -0.33 (2022) | -0.07 pts |
| 161 |  Myanmar | -1.22 (2023) | -1.15 (2022) | -0.07 pts |
| 162 |  Seychelles | 1.63 (2023) | 1.70 (2022) | -0.07 pts |
| 163 |  Guyana | -0.38 (2023) | -0.30 (2022) | -0.08 pts |
| 164 |  Kazakhstan | -0.27 (2023) | -0.19 (2022) | -0.08 pts |
| 165 |  France | 1.18 (2023) | 1.26 (2022) | -0.08 pts |
| 166 |  New Zealand | 2.08 (2023) | 2.16 (2022) | -0.08 pts |
| 167 |  United Arab Emirates | 1.07 (2023) | 1.16 (2022) | -0.09 pts |
| 168 |  Ireland | 1.58 (2023) | 1.67 (2022) | -0.09 pts |
| 169 |  Cyprus | 0.33 (2023) | 0.42 (2022) | -0.09 pts |
| 170 |  Jamaica | -0.11 (2023) | -0.02 (2022) | -0.09 pts |
| 171 |  Belarus | -0.67 (2023) | -0.58 (2022) | -0.09 pts |
| 172 |  Sudan | -1.50 (2023) | -1.41 (2022) | -0.09 pts |
| 173 |  Nicaragua | -1.39 (2023) | -1.29 (2022) | -0.10 pts |
| 174 |  Iran | -1.23 (2023) | -1.13 (2022) | -0.10 pts |
| 175 |  Lebanon | -1.23 (2023) | -1.13 (2022) | -0.10 pts |
| 176 |  Qatar | 0.70 (2023) | 0.80 (2022) | -0.10 pts |
| 177 |  South Sudan | -1.97 (2023) | -1.86 (2022) | -0.11 pts |
| 178 |  Namibia | 0.11 (2023) | 0.22 (2022) | -0.11 pts |
| 179 |  Honduras | -1.11 (2023) | -1.00 (2022) | -0.11 pts |
| 180 |  Iraq | -1.32 (2023) | -1.21 (2022) | -0.11 pts |
| 181 |  Russia | -1.10 (2023) | -0.98 (2022) | -0.12 pts |
| 182 |  Malta | 0.11 (2023) | 0.24 (2022) | -0.13 pts |
| 183 |  Vietnam | -0.42 (2023) | -0.29 (2022) | -0.13 pts |
| 184 |  Austria | 1.13 (2023) | 1.26 (2022) | -0.13 pts |
| 185 |  Lesotho | -0.51 (2023) | -0.37 (2022) | -0.14 pts |
| 186 |  United Kingdom | 1.48 (2023) | 1.62 (2022) | -0.14 pts |
| 187 |  Japan | 1.40 (2023) | 1.54 (2022) | -0.14 pts |
| 188 |  Belgium | 1.34 (2023) | 1.49 (2022) | -0.15 pts |
| 189 |  Morocco | -0.54 (2023) | -0.39 (2022) | -0.15 pts |
| 190 |  Azerbaijan | -1.20 (2023) | -1.04 (2022) | -0.16 pts |
| 191 |  Germany | 1.66 (2023) | 1.82 (2022) | -0.16 pts |
| 192 |  Eritrea | -1.48 (2023) | -1.28 (2022) | -0.20 pts |
| 193 |  Pakistan | -1.00 (2023) | -0.80 (2022) | -0.20 pts |
Source: World Bank. Only countries with complete data (both points within the past 10 years) are shown.