CPI 2025: Nepal fails to rise above 34

BY A STAFF REPORTER,Kathmandu, Feb. 11: Nepal has scored 34 out of 100 in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025. According to a report published by Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday, Nepal remained in the same position as of 2024, showing no improvement, indicating continued challenges in controlling corruption.

With the unchanged score, Nepal is ranked 109th among 182 countries worldwide, placing it below the moderate level in corruption prevention. In the CPI, a score of 100 represents a highly transparent country, while 0 indicates extreme corruption.

The index is compiled using governance-related data from six international organisations, including the World Bank, World Economic Forum, Bertelsmann Foundation, Global Insight, World Justice Project, and V-Dem. Nepal was assessed based on data available up to August 2025.

Among South Asian countries, Bhutan topped the region with a score of 71, followed by India and the Maldives, each at 39, Sri Lanka 35, Pakistan 28, Bangladesh 24, and Afghanistan 16. Nepal’s northern neighbour scored 43.

Issuing a press statement on Tuesday, TI Nepal stated that Nepal’s score was determined based on governance-related data collected up to August 2025 by six international institutions. It stated, “Nepal had consistently scored below 35 for a long time, placing the country in the lower tier of the global index. This persistent low score reflects the inability of governments repeatedly in power to deliver concrete results in the fight against corruption.”

TI Nepal linked the rising public frustration to increasing corruption, stating that the recent Gen Z-led protests held on September 8 and 9, as well as the irreparable loss of life and property suffered by the country, were driven by corruption. “The current state of the index appears to validate the view that growing corruption has been a major contributing factor,” the statement read.

The organisation observed that in the countries with low CPI scores or long-standing corruption problems, Gen Z movements against corruption had intensified in 2025. Youth-led protests had been seen in countries such as Nepal, Madagascar, the Philippines, and Indonesia, where young people have taken to the streets protesting the abuse of power by political leadership and their exclusion from accessible public services, employment, and economic opportunities.

TI Nepal warned that corruption is increasingly becoming a systemic trend, which is a matter of serious concern. 

According to Transparency International, Denmark remained the least corrupt country for the eighth consecutive year with a score of 89, while South Sudan and Somalia ranked among the most corrupt, both scoring nine.