The 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows Thailand ranked 116th out of 182 countries worldwide. The country has experienced a consistent downward trend since 2012. With scores of 33, Thailand is now close to the average recorded among countries classified as “non-democratic regimes”.

The Corruption Perceptions Index, conducted by Transparency International, was released on Tuesday (10 February). The report measures the perceived level of public sector corruption in 182 countries on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

The report indicates that corruption has remained a significant threat worldwide, driven by the failure of good governance and accountable leadership. This year, the global CPI average has dropped for the first time in more than a decade to 42 out of 100.

Denmark ranked highest for the eighth consecutive year, with a score of 89, followed by Finland (88) and Singapore (84). Only 15 countries managed to get scores above 57. Meanwhile, over two-thirds of the countries fall under 50, indicating a serious corruption problem in most parts of the world. Since 2012, 31 countries have improved, while 50 have declined.

Thailand ranked 116th with a score of 33, down from 107th with a score of 34 last year. Other countries with the same score include Ecuador, Panama, and Serbia.

“Thailand continues to score badly and shows a consistent downward trend in score since 2012,” says the report.

For Southeast Asian countries, Singapore ranked highest, followed by Brunei (63) and Malaysia (52), while Thailand ranked eighth, ahead of the Philippines (32), Cambodia (20), and Myanmar (16).

The report identifies two patterns which stand out among countries whose scores have fallen. The first features those countries facing a consistent decline since 2012. These have shown long-term structural erosion driven by democratic backsliding, institutional weakening, and entrenched patronage networks.

The second pattern is observed in countries with relatively higher scores. In several countries, corruption risks have increased as independent checks and balances have been weakened. Some also experienced strains to democracy, including political polarisation and the growing influence of private money on decision-making

The Index also categorises average scores by regime type: 71 for full democracies, 37 for flawed democracies, and 32 for non-democratic regimes.

It was also shown that countries with greater civic space tend to have lower levels of corruption. Of the 50 countries whose scores declined, 36 have also seen a reduction of civic space.