Argentina reaches worst score in corruption perceptions index since 2019

Argentina is amongst the most corrupt countries in the world, with the situation worsening in the past five years, according to NGO Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released on Tuesday. In 2025, Argentina got a score of 36 out of 100 points, one below the 37 points it got in 2024. The index ranks 182 countries and territories worldwide with results given on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), according to the perception of experts and businesspeople. Argentina occupied position 104 out of 182 in the 2025 worldwide ranking, five above the 2024 ranking, meaning the country is perceived as more corrupt. The report accompanying the results linked the fall of Argentina in the ranking to a corruption probe investigating an alleged bribery scheme within the now extinct National Disability Agency. In August, former director of the agency Diego Spagnuolo was fired after leaked audios attributed to him stated Presidency Secretary Karina Milei was taking bribes from pharmaceutical and medical supplies companies in exchange for state contracts.  Spagnuolo is now being prosecuted for allegedly leading the scheme himself, alongside other former government officials. Karina Milei — President Javier Milei’s sister — has not been charged. “In Argentina (36), investigations into alleged corruption in the management of funds for medicines for people with disabilities show […] risks for vulnerable groups,” Transparency International’s report said. “The bad news for Argentina is surely linked to the government’s lack of interest in pushing forward anti-corruption policies,” said in a statement Pablo Secchi, CEO of NGO Poder Ciudadano, which operates as the Argentine leg of Transparency International.  In addition to the disability sector bribes, Secchi mentioned the $LIBRA scandal, in which President Milei promoted a cryptocurrency scam from his own X account. Argentina’s highest score was in 2019 with 45, and the number has been dropping yearly since then. Argentina was introduced into the index in 2012 with a score of 35. Its worst score was in 2015, with 32. The 2025 global average score stands at 42 out of 100, meaning Argentina falls among the most corrupt countries, although far from those with the worst rankings. The countries with worst perceived corruption were Somalia and South Sudan, both with 9 points. The least corrupt was Denmark, with 89. The average score sits at its lowest level in more than a decade. Two thirds of the countries scored below 50, meaning a vast majority of nations are “failing to keep corruption under control,” the organization said. Corruption in the Americas “The Americas show no progress in the fight against corruption,” Transparency International said in its report. The region scored an average of 42/100, the same as the global average.  Argentina is among the 15 most corrupt countries in the 33 nations from the Americas included in the index. The report mentioned severe consequences for citizens due to corruption in public services in countries such as Argentina and Peru. The latter, which scored 30, had a scandal involving alleged bribes to bypass health inspections, which reportedly led to contaminated food being distributed in public schools. Venezuela (10), Nicaragua (14) and Haiti (16) remain as the three countries with lowest score in the region, “marked by high levels of repression, failed or co-opted institutions, and entrenched corruption.” “In Venezuela, the country’s low score reflects years of widespread corruption and illicit activities that have seen poverty and malnutrition soar as millions of families survive on limited food, water and electricity,” Transparency International said. At the top of the Americas’ list were Canada (75), Uruguay (73) and Barbados (68), which the NGO described as some of the region’s strongest democracies, although it warned that “limited growth and setbacks are concerning.” The United States reached its lowest-ever score with 64.