Transparency International Ukraine has published the results of the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI): Ukraine scored 36 out of 100 possible points, gaining one point compared to the previous year and ranking 104th out of 182 countries.

At the same time, TI Ukraine noted that the modest one-point increase was not the result of systematic government action, but rather of societal resilience and unity.

“Last year was not a breakthrough. We witnessed attempts to undermine the independence of the anti-corruption system during wartime. This point is not a political victory, it is the result of society’s resistance, which kept the country from straying off its democratic path,” said Andriy Borovyk, Executive Director of the organization.

Most neighboring countries (Moldova, Romania, and Hungary each lost one point), as well as other EU candidate countries (Georgia and Turkey each lost three points), saw their scores decline. Only Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrated progress.

However, Ukraine still lags three points behind the average score of EU candidate countries (39 points) and six points behind neighboring Moldova (42 points).

Transparency International Ukraine calls for ensuring the independence of anti-corruption institutions, strengthening effectiveness in corruption cases — particularly in the seizure and confiscation of illicit assets — enhancing the institutional capacity and focus of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), updating legislation to ensure swift and high-quality justice, expanding the involvement of international experts in the selection commission for members of the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ), and adopting both the Anti-Corruption Strategy and the State Anti-Corruption Program.

It is important to note that the CPI is the result of a comprehensive study. It measures not the actual level of corruption, but the perception of corruption — that is, how business representatives and experts assess corruption in the public sector. The index is based on more than ten data sources and rankings. A country’s overall score depends on its anti-corruption policy framework, the openness and transparency of public authorities, objective media coverage of corruption issues, and the measures taken to prevent and combat corruption.