In a year marked by intensifying geopolitical tensions, rising living costs and mounting pressure on public institutions, Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2025 paints a bleak, yet familiar picture: corruption remains rampant and, while progress is uneven and fragile, recent slippage among some well-ranked democracies shows corruption risks can rise even where institutions once looked secure. As the organization points out, in almost two-thirds of countries that have seen their scores deteriorate significantly since 2012, "there has been a worrying pattern of restriction on freedoms of expression, association and assembly". Transparency International lists several examples of "politicised interference with operations of NGOs", taking the form of restrictive laws "often paired with smear campaigns and intimidation". Put simply, where democracy is weakened, corruption risks appear harder to contain.

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