The 31st edition of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index reveals a concerning picture of long-term decline in leadership to tackle corruption, alongside limited signs of progress. Corruption is worsening globally, with even established democracies experiencing rising corruption amid a decline in leadership, according to Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). This annual index shows that the number of countries scoring above 80 has shrunk from 12 a decade ago to just five this year.
Transparency International is warning that the absence of bold leadership in the global fight against corruption is weakening international anti-corruption action, and risks reducing pressure for reform in countries throughout the world.
In many European countries, anti-corruption efforts have largely stalled over the past decade. Since 2012, 13 countries in Western Europe and the EU have significantly declined, and only seven have significantly improved.
High CPI scores do not guarantee that countries are corruption-free, as several top-scoring nations enable corruption in other countries by facilitating the laundering and transfer of proceeds of corruption across borders, which the CPI does not cover.
Denmark once again ranks first this year with a score of 89 points. It is followed by Finland with 88, Singapore with 84, New Zealand and Norway with 81, and Sweden and Switzerland with 80 points.
Source description used to construct the CPI can be seen on the following link: CPI 2025 Source Description
Technical Methodoly Note for CPI 2025 can be seen on the following link: CPI Technical Methodology Note
North Macedonia, both this year and last year, scores 40 points. The following tables show the trend of North Macedonia’s scoring on the Corruption Perceptions Index and the positions it has held during the period from 2018 to 2025.
|
Year |
Rank | CPI Scores |
|
2025 |
84 |
40 |
|
2024 |
88 |
40 |
|
2023 |
76 |
42 |
|
2022 |
85 |
40 |
|
2021 |
87 |
39 |
|
2020 |
111 |
35 |
|
2019 |
106 |
35 |
| 2018 | 93 |
37 |
Used sources for North Macedonia for CPI 2025:
- Bertelsmann Foundation TI – BTI (January 2023- January 2025)- 51 points
- Economist Intelligence Unit – EIU (September 2025)- 34 points
- Freedom House NIT – FH (January- December 2023)- 44 points
- Global Insight IHS – GI (October- December 2023)- 46 points
- Verities of Democracy Project – VDP (January- December 2024)- 24 points
- World Economic Forum- WEF (March- August 2025)- 36 points
- World Justice Project Rule of Law Index (February- June 2025)- 42 points
Statement by the President of Transparency International – Macedonia, Mr. Blagoja Pandovski:
The Republic of North Macedonia once again scores 40 points on the Corruption Perceptions Index this year, indicating that there has been no substantial progress in the fight against corruption. Instead, the result reflects stagnation, serving as a baseline from which improvements must begin.
Formally, the country is ranked four places higher on the list compared to last year, at 84th position. This improvement shows that in the previous year North Macedonia performed better in combating corruption than four other countries.
The key systemic problems remain the unsuccessful and incomplete reforms in the judiciary and the prosecution, which have failed to ensure an efficient, independent and accountable justice system. In addition, the developments related to the former President of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption have seriously undermined public trust in the institutions responsible for fighting corruption.
Of further concern is the non-transparent process of drafting the amendments to the Criminal Code, as well as their content, which not only failed to strengthen the anti-corruption framework but weakened it in certain aspects. Moreover, the new Law on Protection of Whistleblowers and the amendments to the Law on Prevention of Corruption and Conflict of Interest—among the most important laws in the fight against corruption—have still not been adopted.
These results send a clear message: without genuine political will, transparent processes and accountable institutions, North Macedonia will remain trapped in stagnation. The fight against corruption must be treated as a top state priority, not merely as a declarative commitment.
