Nepal has maintained a score of 34 in the 2025 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International Nepal (TI Nepal), signaling minimal improvement in controlling corruption. The index, which covers 182 countries, ranks countries on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 indicates highly corrupt and 100 represents very transparent governance. Nepal remains in a weak-to-moderate corruption control category, consistent with its score from the previous year.
The CPI uses data from international organizations including the World Bank, World Economic Forum, Bertelsmann Foundation, Global Insight, World Justice Project, and V-Dem, among others, to assess countries’ governance and corruption levels. Within South Asia, Bhutan scored the highest at 71, followed by India (39), Maldives (39), Sri Lanka (35), Pakistan (28), Bangladesh (24), and Afghanistan (16). Neighboring China scored 43. TI Nepal notes that except for Bhutan, most South Asian countries continue to face serious corruption challenges. Factors such as political instability, weak governance, abuse of public office, impunity, and lack of transparency are cited as primary reasons for stagnant CPI scores.
The report highlights that while citizen movements, youth activism, and public pressure have increased, these have not translated into structural or policy reforms. Corruption risks remain high in public service delivery, contracts and tenders, tax administration, and judicial processes. TI Nepal emphasizes the need to strengthen political will, full implementation of laws, independent judiciary, transparent administration, and citizen participation to improve corruption control.
Globally, the average CPI score decreased by one point to 42 compared to the previous year. The number of countries scoring above 80 has fallen from 12 a decade ago to only five in 2025. TI Nepal notes that since 2012, over 50 countries have experienced weakening corruption control, with only 31 countries showing improvement. Overall, two-thirds of the world’s countries scored below 50.
Denmark remains the least corrupt country, scoring 89 for the eighth consecutive year, while South Sudan and Somalia are the most corrupt, scoring 9. TI Nepal’s chairman, Madan Krishna Sharma, stated that Nepal’s unchanged score reflects the government’s failure to take concrete action against corruption. The assessment is based on governance data from six international institutions up to August 2025.
Chairman Sharma highlighted that corruption has led to significant financial losses, weakened governance, and growing public dissatisfaction in Nepal. He noted that recent Gen-Z and youth movements were primarily focused on anti-corruption efforts. He emphasized that effective control requires strong political commitment, full enforcement of laws, adherence to international obligations, and strengthening of regulatory bodies.
Former TI Nepal president Padyini Pradhanang stressed the need to elect honest and committed leadership free from corruption in upcoming elections. TI Nepal’s secretary-general, Sagar Raj Sharma, noted that Nepal has yet to succeed in eradicating corruption and called for comprehensive efforts across all sectors to address the issue.
This article was originally published on https://bajarkochirfar.com. Translated with the help of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
