EU countries with worst corruption perception scores 2025| ��ƽ��

Annual Corruption Perceptions Index scores for the five worst performing European Union member states from 2015 to 2025 (Index score from 0 to 100)

Characteristic	Hungary	Bulgaria	Malta	Romania	Croatia
2025	40	40	49	45	47
2024	41	43	46	46	47
2023	42	45	51	46	50
2022	42	43	51	46	50
2021	43	42	54	45	47
2020	44	44	53	44	47
2019	44	43	54	44	47
2018	46	42	54	47	48
2017	45	43	56	48	49
2016	48	41	55	48	49
2015	51	41	60	46	51

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Release date

April 2026

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Region

Europe, EU

Survey time period

2015 to 2025

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The European Union's member states have widely differing experiences when it comes to corruption and the rule of law. While some states such as Denmark and Finland show extremely low levels of corruption, others find the issue to be one of the key challenges facing their countries.

For Malta, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, the issue of domestic corruption is particularly severe, as they are ranked as the bottom five member states in Transparency International's corruption perceptions index in 2025. In these EU member states, officials in public administration or the justice system are more likely to be swayed by bribes and citizens' civil and political liberties are less likely to be respected.

Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria have seen a slight increase in their scores over the past decade, while for Hungary and Malta the situation with corruption has significantly deteriorated. Hungary in particular has seen its score fall from 51 in 2015 to only 40 in 2025, as the country's illiberal Prime Minister Viktor Orban has implemented reforms to the media, judiciary, and political system which have substantially worsened corruption.