Thailand has dropped nine places to 116th in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), with its score declining slightly from 34 in 2024 to 33 out of 100 in 2025, Bangkok Post reports.
The CPI, compiled by Transparency International, measures perceived levels of public-sector corruption, based on assessments from experts and business leaders. Countries are scored on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates highly corrupt and 100 very clean. The index draws on 13 independent data sources, including the World Economic Forum and the World Bank, and is widely used as a benchmark by investors and policymakers.
Thailand’s score of 33 places it well below the global average of 42 and far behind the Nordic countries, which continue to dominate the top of the ranking.
Denmark once again leads the world with 89 points, followed by Finland with 88. Norway, Sweden and Iceland also remain among the best-performing nations globally.
A widening gap
Within ASEAN, Singapore ranked third worldwide with 84 points, underscoring the wide governance gap within the region. Thailand placed fifth in Southeast Asia, while Myanmar ranked near the bottom globally at 169th with just 16 points.
Over the past decade, Thailand’s highest score was 38, recorded in 2014 and 2015. Since then, progress has been limited, with small annual fluctuations but no sustained improvement.
With more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50, the 2025 index points to a broader global slowdown in anti-corruption efforts.
The contrast is particularly stark when comparing Thailand’s 33 points with Denmark’s 89 – a gap that reflects fundamentally different levels of institutional strength, transparency and public accountability.
