Afghanistan Ranks 165th Out of 180 Countries in 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index

Afghanistan scored 17 points out of 100 on Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), placing it 165th among 180 countries.

The CPI measures perceptions of public sector corruption based on assessments from experts and business executives, with 0 indicating highly corrupt conditions and 100 very clean. Denmark, Finland, Singapore, New Zealand and Norway topped the index as the cleanest countries. South Sudan, Somalia, Venezuela, Yemen and Libya ranked as the most corrupt.

In comparison, Afghanistan scored 20 points in 2023 (162nd out of 180) and 24 points in 2022 (150th out of 180). For the first time in over a decade, the global average CPI score fell to 42. A total of 122 out of 182 countries scored below 50, indicating widespread public sector corruption.

Transparency International noted that only five countries now score above 80, down from 12 a decade ago. Countries restricting civil society space often lose control over corruption, with 36 of the 50 countries with the largest declines having curtailed freedoms. Over 90% of journalists killed for investigating corruption were in low-scoring countries.

Fragile governments like Afghanistan under Taliban control, which Transparency International states has a score of 16, remain at the bottom of the index. The organization highlighted that limited civil society space, non-transparent political financing, lack of democratic checks and balances, and absence of independent judiciaries make such countries particularly vulnerable to corruption.