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ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan remains one of the world&rsquo;s most corrupt countries, according to the latest annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published by Transparency International.&nbsp;The latest 2025 CPI shows that Afghanistan scored just 16 points out of 100, placing it 169th out of 182 countries and territories. The latest figures show a slight drop from last year&rsquo;s score of 17 and ranking of 165th.&nbsp;Transparency International measures perceived levels of public-sector corruption on a scale from zero, indicating very high corruption, to 100, indicating very clean governance.&nbsp;The report also shows that Afghanistan&rsquo;s position has worsened steadily over recent years under the Taliban administration &mdash; falling from 150th place in 2022, with 24 points, to its current standing.&nbsp;Globally, the CPI paints a troubling picture: the average score dropped to a historic low of 42, with 122 out of 182 countries scoring below 50, reflecting widespread corruption in public sectors worldwide. Only five countries scored above 80, compared with 12 just a decade ago.&nbsp;At the top of the index, Denmark, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand and Norway rank as the least corrupt nations. At the bottom are South Sudan, Somalia, Venezuela, Yemen and Libya &mdash; together with Afghanistan among the worst performers.&nbsp;Transparency International highlights the growing global challenge of corruption, noting that weaker democratic checks and restricted civic space often coincide with deteriorating perceptions of transparency and governance. In the 50 countries with the steepest declines in CPI scores, 36 have tightened restrictions on civil liberties, the report finds.&nbsp;Fragile states like Afghanistan are especially vulnerable, Transparency International says, due to limited civic space, opaque political financing systems and a lack of independent judicial institutions &mdash; conditions that undermine accountability and enable corruption to persist.

Afghanistan

The 2025 Corruption Perception Indes shows Afghanistan scored just 16 points out of 100, placing it 169th out of 182 countries and territories; the development represents a drop from last year’s score of 17 and ranking of 165th.

Afghanistan ranks among world’s most corrupt countries in 2025: Report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan improved its standing in international corruption perceptions, scoring 28 out of 100 in Transparency International&#39;s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index released Tuesday. The gain reflects ongoing institutional reforms and enhanced oversight mechanisms aimed at strengthening governance, according to the Berlin-based watchdog organization. Pakistan ranked alongside Iraq, Liberia, Mali and Bolivia in the latest assessment. The country has pursued judicial reforms and increased transparency measures in recent years while working to strengthen accountability institutions. The improvement comes as Pakistan continues efforts to address governance challenges across multiple government sectors. Transparency International&#39;s index measures perceived levels of public-sector corruption across 182 countries and territories using 13 independent data sources that reflect assessments from business executives and country experts. Scores range from zero, indicating high corruption, to 100, representing very clean governance. The global picture showed concerning trends, with the worldwide average dropping to 42 out of 100, marking the first decline in more than a decade. Over two-thirds of countries scored below 50, indicating serious corruption problems in most parts of the world. The organization noted that sustained improvements require comprehensive legal reforms and protection of civic freedoms. Countries showing long-term gains have typically implemented broad institutional changes while safeguarding press independence and civil society organizations. The index draws on expert perceptions of corruption in the public sector rather than measuring specific corrupt activities directly. Denmark leads 2025 rankings Meanwhile, Denmark led the 2025 rankings with a score of 89, maintaining its position for the eighth consecutive year. Finland scored 88, Singapore 84, New Zealand 81 and Norway 81. Somalia and South Sudan tied for last place at nine points each.

Pakistan improved its standing in international corruption perceptions, scoring 28 out of 100 in Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index released February 9, 2026. (World Economic Forum)

Politics

Pakistan scored 28 out of 100 in Transparency International's latest corruption index, up from 27, reflecting institutional reforms though challenges remain in governance and accountability.

Pakistan records improvement in 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index

BEIJING: China executed a former executive of a top state-controlled asset management firm for corruption on Tuesday, state media reported. Bai Tianhui, the ex-general manager of China Huarong International Holdings (CHIH), was found guilty of accepting more than $156 million while offering favourable treatment in the acquisition and financing of projects between 2014 and 2018, state broadcaster CCTV said. CHIH is a subsidiary of China Huarong Asset Management, which focuses on bad-debt management as one of the country&#39;s largest asset management funds. Huarong has been a major target of President Xi Jinping&#39;s years-long graft crackdown, with its former chairman Lai Xiaomin executed in January 2021 for receiving bribes worth $253 million. Several other Huarong executives have also been snared in anti-corruption investigations. Death sentences for corruption in China are often issued with a two-year reprieve and then commuted to life in prison. But Bai&#39;s sentence, first handed down in May 2024 by a court in the northern city of Tianjin, was not suspended.&nbsp;He appealed against his conviction but the original verdict was upheld in February. The Supreme People&#39;s Court, China&#39;s highest court, confirmed the decision after review, stating that Bai&#39;s crimes were &quot;extremely serious,&quot; CCTV reported. &quot;(Bai) accepted bribes of an exceptionally large amount, the circumstances of his crimes were exceptionally serious, the social impact was especially egregious, and the interests of the state and the people suffered exceptionally significant losses,&quot; CCTV quoted the SPC as saying. Bai was put to death in Tianjin on Tuesday morning after meeting with close relatives, the broadcaster said, without specifying how he was executed. China classifies death penalty statistics as a state secret, though Amnesty and other rights groups believe thousands of people are executed in the country every year. Bai is the latest high-ranking figure to face punishment in a long-running crackdown on corruption in China&#39;s finance industry. Yi Huiman, former chief of China&#39;s top securities regulator, was placed under investigation for corruption in September. In March, Li Xiaopeng, the former head of state-owned banking giant Everbright Group, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for accepting bribes totaling 60 million yuan. Liu Liange, former chairman of the Bank of China, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve in November 2024 for accepting bribes totalling 121 million yuan. Supporters say the anti-corruption campaign promotes clean governance, but critics say it also provides Xi with the power to purge political rivals.

This photo released by the Tianjin No.2 Intermediate People’s Court on May 28, 2024 shows Bai Tianhui (C), the former general manager of China Huarong International Holdings (CHIH), during his sentencing at the court on May 28, 2024. (TIANJIN NO.2 INTERME

China

China executed former China Huarong International Holdings executive Bai Tianhui for accepting $156 million in bribes between 2014-2018, marking the latest high-profile punishment in President Xi Jinping's ongoing anti-corruption campaign targeting China's finance industry.

China executes former senior banker for taking $156M bribes

DHAKA: A Bangladeshi court sentenced Sheikh Rehana, sister of former premier Sheikh Hasina, to seven years in prison Monday for corruption in a case involving the grabbing of lucrative plots in the capital. Rehana&#39;s daughter, Tulip Siddiq, who is a British lawmaker, was handed a two-year sentence in the same case, said Khan Mainul Hasan, prosecutor for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Hasina, who was given the death penalty for crimes against humanity last month, and 14 other government officials were condemned to five years of imprisonment. The 78-year-old former premier has sought refuge in India since her ouster last year following a student-led uprising, but Rehana&#39;s whereabouts remain unknown. Siddiq, who resigned as British anti-corruption minister in January after being named in graft probes in Bangladesh, has called the trial a &quot;persecution and a farce&quot;. Hasan said they had details of Siddiq&#39;s correspondence with Salahuddin Ahmed, the principal secretary to the then prime minister, exposing her role in the case. &quot;Tulip insisted that her aunt Sheikh Hasina allocate plots for her mother and siblings, as she herself took three -- one for her and two for her children,&quot; Hasan said. &quot;She called him (Ahmed), communicated via some encrypted apps, and even met him while she was in Dhaka.&quot; Judge Rabiul Alam quoted verses from the Quran as he read out the judgement. &quot;The court has full authority to try any Bangladeshi, whether the person is in the country or abroad,&quot; he observed. Hasina decried the latest verdict in a statement mailed to AFP on Monday. &quot;No country is free from corruption. But corruption needs to be investigated in a way that is not itself corrupt. The ACC has failed that test today,&quot; she said. The interim government would notify the British authorities about Monday&#39;s verdict, prosecutors said. There was no immediate reaction from Siddiq. However, in a recent interview with The Guardian newspaper, Siddiq said she was &quot;collateral damage&quot; in the feud between interim leader Muhammad Yunus and her aunt. Bangladesh has been in political turmoil since the end of Hasina&#39;s rule, and violence has marred campaigning for elections slated for February 2026. The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as Hasina tried to cling to power.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel stand guard outside a court in Dhaka on December 1, 2025 (AFP)

Bangladesh

Bangladesh sentenced Sheikh Rehana to seven years and her daughter, Tulip Siddiq, to two years for corruption. Former PM Sheikh Hasina, already condemned to death in another case, received five years as political turmoil deepens ahead of the 2026 elections.

Articles tagged with "Corruption"

Afghanistan ranks among world’s most corrupt countries in 2025: Report

Pakistan records improvement in 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index

China executes former senior banker for taking $156M bribes

Bangladesh court sentences former PM's sister, UK lawmaker