The 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has been published, placing Georgia once again as the leading country in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.
Speaker of the Parliament Shalva Papuashvili welcomed the results, stating that Georgia outperforms seven European Union member states and ten NATO member countries. He also noted that among EU candidate countries, Georgia ranks ahead of all others.
“The result is unequivocal: Georgia once again remains the unconditional leader in the region,” Papuashvili wrote, adding that the findings “once again expose the reality” and calling on Brussels to end what he described as disinformation campaigns against Georgia. “Dogs bark, but the caravan moves on,” he added.
At the same time, Transparency International Georgia reported that Georgia’s CPI score has declined by three points compared to the previous year. Organization says Georgia scored 50 points out of 100 in the 2025 index — its lowest result since 2013. On the CPI scale, 50 represents an average level of perceived public-sector corruption.
Despite the decline, Transparency International Georgia noted that the country still ranks first in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The organization explained that the CPI primarily measures vulnerability to public-sector corruption, including the prevalence of petty bribery, which it says remains relatively low in Georgia. However, it emphasized that the index does not fully capture more complex forms of corruption, such as state capture and kleptocracy, which it identified as Georgia’s main challenges.
Based on Transparency International Georgia’s analysis, the drop in Georgia’s score is linked to democratic backsliding and rising corruption risks. The organization cited factors such as the adoption of the so-called “foreign agents” and grants laws, restrictions on civil society and media, politically motivated prosecutions, and the violent dispersal of protests. It also pointed to concerns raised by international observers following the disputed 2024 elections and the suspension of EU integration talks.
The 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index covers 181 countries, assessing them on a scale from 0 to 100, where 100 indicates the lowest perceived level of corruption. Transparency International noted that Georgia is among a broader group of countries worldwide where declining CPI scores have coincided with restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly.
Image: 1TV
