What is Driving the Rise in Corruption Globally?
In a word or two. The first -- Integrity -- or more precisely, the lack thereof with respect to public officials. Second -- Courage -- It takes a degree of courage to seek and pursue that which is right and just. In general, societies today care much more about the allure, opulence, and lifestyles of the rich and famous, considerably more so than integrity. After all, integrity does not pay the electric bill, now, does it?
Everyone knows that money makes the world move. Unfortunately, it is that same misguided value system which, in of itself, drives the rise in corruption globally. When the possession of material assets is all that matters, as opposed to how one obtains those assets, individual value systems and tenets ratify the age-old adage: "The end justifies the means." Those eager to sign off of this philosophy rarely if ever comprehend that the choice of following that path guarantees a decline in respect. There is an inversely proportional relationship between public corruption and respect. As one rises, the other typically follows in the other direction. Respect is not a tangible, and it certainly does not pay the electric bill -- directly anyway -- but respect opens doors to which most never knew existed. And one of those hidden doors could very well be the monetary source to pay that same electricity bill. And where income, or the lack thereof, is the underlying issue with the inability to pay that electric bill; well guess what? Respect opens doors there too e.g. income generating sources which do not require the selling of one's soul to corrupt politicians or otherwise living a life contrary to that upon which one was raised.
At the end of the day, though, in this day and age, people prefer what's easy and fast. Zero to one hundred overnight -- that is all that matters. How much and how fast. These concepts deteriorate values wholesale, which feeds into the power band of corruption directors in high places. Basically, there are two (2) types of players in the corruption space: Directors and Operators. What operators fail to understand or otherwise reject in an off-handed nonchalant manner is that: operators with volatile value systems directly feed into narcissistic mindsets, e.g. corruption directors. The rich and powerful are always out and about roving the premises in search of victim operators with volatile value systems. In short, the more everyday people yield to corruption, the more corruption permeates throughout society. And contrary to commonplace thinking, being "Anti-corrupt" does not require one to be perfect. More often than not, being a decent human being simply requires having the courage to live by that which one believes, i.e. practice what you preach. Humans are born with the innate ability to engage in all kinds of self-destructive, society deteriorating, ill will type behaviour. Being a decent human being is a learned experience for most, which requires ongoing reinforcement often found when met head on with corrupt activity and behaviours, thereby providing the opportunity to either grow or decline. It really is a conscious choice.
What is the Corruption Perceptions Index and Why Does it Matter?
The Corruption Perceptions Index in an annual publication with Transparency International which ranks 180 countries on a scale from 0 to 100 on the overall level of corruption in a given country based upon a number of actively monitored metrics. Transparency International just recently published its annual version of the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2026, and the outlook is stark. Read the annual report below.
"This week, we published our annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which scores countries around the world by perceived levels of public sector corruption. Transparency International’s CPI 2025 shows that world leaders are failing to act against corruption, which remains a threat to democracy, freedom and justice. While a small number of countries have made progress, the overall picture is one of stagnation and decline, with real consequences for people’s lives.
The CPI ranks 182 countries and territories on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The results paint a stark picture: the global average score has fallen to 42, with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50. No country scores a perfect 100, and the number of countries scoring above 80 has shrunk from 12 a decade ago to just five." Transparency International.
The most notable decline is the United States of America, which has declined to position #64 and Switzerland declined to position #80. The decline in Switzerland is somewhat troubling, albeit still ranked in the top ten globally, if for no other reason than Switzerland has long been renowned for its systemic anti-corruption pillars throughout its governmental framework. So what a small decline in Switzerland tends to signal: Are we waiting for the other shoe to drop in Switzerland or is this decline merely a transient type change which will demonstrate correction in the 2027 release of Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index? An interesting positive observation is that 8 of the top 10 countries are EU nations. Perhaps this is one explanation why the EU Euro is the world's leading currency, followed by the USA dollar. On the other hand, fifty (50) of the one hundred eighty (180) countries ranked in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2026 experienced a year-over-year decline. Compare these figures to last year's corruption levels globally.