Transparency International Release Latest Corruption Perceptions Index
U.S. Score Continues to Decline Amid Clear Signs of Democratic Backsliding
A statement from Transparency International U.S.
February 10, 2026
Washington, D.C. – The 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released today by Transparency International (TI), the world’s oldest and largest anticorruption network, scored the U.S. a 64 out of 100, marking another decline in the country’s ongoing struggle against perceptions of corruption. The U.S.’s score represents a continuation of a longer-term drop of 12 points over the previous decade.
The CPI is the most widely used global corruption ranking in the world. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, and considers factors such as bribery, diversion of public funds, judicial integrity and independence, and the use of public office for private gain. The scale runs from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
While the 2025 data have yet to fully reflect all developments from 2025, specific actions, such as the use of public office to target independent voices and the undermining of judicial independence, raise troubling concerns.
Reflecting on the score of 64, Transparency International U.S. (TI US), the U.S. chapter of TI, points to the dangerous misuse of government authorities originally established for politically neutral enforcement of laws and regulations. Increasingly, these authorities have been applied in ways that raise serious concerns about selective and politically motivated enforcement.
“The use of enforcement discretion to politically determine winners and losers, and the selective loosening of market rules to favor politically connected actors, undermine core principles of the rule of law, fair competition, and anti-corruption,” said TI US Executive Director Gary Kalman. “Anti-corruption laws should be there to serve the public interest, not be distorted to advance narrow political or economic interests.”
“Perhaps most alarming,” Kalman added, “is that these actions encourage leaders in other countries to further target and restrict independent voices, including advocates and journalists.”
Beyond the CPI findings, which only measures U.S. public sector corruption, the U.S. government’s decision to temporarily freeze and then reduce enforcement resources of its landmark foreign anti-bribery law, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, sends a dangerous signal to the world that corrupt business practices may be tolerated. At the same time, significant cuts to U.S. foreign aid supporting overseas organizations that hold governments to account have undermined anti-corruption efforts globally.
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TI US is part of the world’s largest coalition against corruption. In collaboration with national chapters in more than 100 countries, we are leading the fight to turn our vision of a world free from corruption into reality.
Related Resources
- Read the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index;
- Read TI US’s guest opinion piece on the current and historic role of the U.S. in combating transnational corruption.
Media Contact
Gary Kalman, Executive Director, Transparency International U.S.
Telephone: +1 215 439 7090
Email: gkalman@us.transparency.org
Twitter: @TransparencyUSA
