Despite a few glimmers of hope, most Arab countries still score poorly in TI's 2025 corruption ranking

Transparency International's (TI) 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows a significant perceived decline in efforts to combat corruption across several parts of the world, including Western countries, as well as mixed results in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

In a press release, TI said corruption remains "deeply entrenched" in the MENA region, with most governments "failing to tackle public sector corruption" over the past year.

While some countries showed slight improvements in this year's index, the region as a whole continues to lag behind others globally.

The Berlin-based organisation has published the index annually since 1995, ranking around 180 countries and territories according to perceived levels of public sector corruption. The CPI uses a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 indicating a very clean public sector and 0 indicating a highly corrupt one.

The index is based on assessments by experts and business executives rather than documented cases of corruption.

Gulf states lead region

Gulf states ranked best within MENA, while several countries in the Maghreb and the Levant placed in the middle, while conflict-stricken Yemen was the worst for perceived corruption in the region.

The United Arab Emirates scored highest in the region, ranking 21st globally with 69 points, up one place from last year. While 80 points is generally viewed as a benchmark for very clean governance, the UAE ranked ahead of countries including France, the United States and South Korea.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia ranked 41st and 45th globally, scoring 58 and 57 points, respectively; however, both countries experienced slight declines in their rankings compared to 2024.

Despite relatively strong regional performances, TI cautioned that "anti-corruption reforms are dependent on the willingness of leaders to make sustained efforts to move towards transparency".

"In non democratic regimes such as these, anti-corruption efforts are particularly fragile as they remain vulnerable to shifts in political priorities," the organisation added.

Oman and Bahrain scored 52 and 50 points, ranking nine and 11 places behind Saudi Arabia. Both declined slightly, falling three places compared to last year.

Jordan rose by one place in 2025, ranking 56th out of 182 countries with 50 points.

North Africa and the Levant

Morocco improved slightly, climbing two spots, but still ranked 91st with 39 points. TI said that "shrinking civic space that inhibits the ability of civil society, including journalists, NGOs and whistleblowers, to speak out against abuses of power has created more space for corrupt practices to flourish" in the kingdom.

The organisation said such trends "undermine investigation of embezzlement by elected officials and civil servants", contributing to public frustration, including Gen-Z protests last year.

Egypt remained unchanged from 2024, ranking 130th with 30 points. Iraq and Lebanon saw marginal improvements in their rankings but still placed 136th and 153rd with 28 and 23 points, respectively, among the lowest-ranked countries in the region and globally.

Lebanon’s slight improvement comes at a politically sensitive moment, one year after the election of a president following a two-year vacuum, and the formation of a government that has pledged to prioritise reforms aimed at rebuilding trust and modernising governance after years of systemic corruption.

Julian Courson, executive director of No Corruption, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that "reform rhetoric has helped create a more supportive environment than in previous phases, reflected in some government decisions".

However, he said significant challenges remain, including the implementation of anti-corruption laws and the activation of oversight roles by parliament and regulatory bodies. These issues, he added, are longstanding and cannot be addressed without decisive political will and sustained enforcement.

Regarding Iraq, TI said that despite the slight improvement, it remains "unclear whether it will be able to overcome significant structural hurdles to substantially improve its still very low score".

Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen ranked lowest in the region and among the lowest globally, amid ongoing conflict, instability and governance crises.

Yemen ranked second lowest in the world with 13 points, ahead of only Venezuela.

"Lower scores in the region highlight the need to open civic space, strengthen transparency and ensure independent, well-resourced anti-corruption agencies," TI said.

Manuel Pirino, TI's regional adviser for MENA, said the results show corruption "remains embedded in the region, negatively impacting people’s lives".

"To tackle this, countries must put in place mechanisms that open civic space and ensure transparency rather than restricting it," Pirino said. "They must ensure anti-corruption and oversight agencies are independent and provide them with the resources and training needed to operate effectively.

"Without proper accountability mechanisms, corruption will continue to permeate the region," Pirino added.