Corruption index: India ranks 93 among 180 nations

“India (39) shows score fluctuations small enough that no firm conclusions can be drawn on any significant change. However, ahead of the elections, India sees further narrowing of civic space, including through the passage of a (telecommunication) Bill that could be a ‘grave threat’ to fundamental rights,” the report said.

While western Europe and the European Union remained the top-scoring regions, its regional average score dropped to 65 this year, as checks and balances weakened and political integrity eroded, the report said.

In South Asia, both Pakistan (rank 133) and Sri Lanka (rank 115) are grappling with their respective debt burdens and ensuing political instability, it said. “However, the two countries have strong judicial oversight, which is helping to keep the government in check. The Supreme Court of Pakistan strengthened citizens’ right to information by expanding this right under Article 19A of its Constitution to previously restricted institutions,” it said.

Noting that China (rank 76) has made headlines with its aggressive anti-corruption crackdown by punishing more than 3.7 million public officials for graft over the last decade, the report said the country’s heavy reliance on punishment rather than institutional checks on power raises doubts over the long-term effectiveness of such anti-corruption measures.

The bottom of the index included Myanmar (162), Afghanistan (162) and North Korea (172). At rank 180 was Somalia with the lowest score of 11.