Corruption remains deeply entrenched across Eurasia, but Armenia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have made notable strides over the past decade in curbing graft, according to the latest Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International.

The TI survey also shows an increase in corruption in Kyrgyzstan and Russia in recent years. Meanwhile, trends in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have remained steady.

This year’s Corruption Perceptions Index notes that over two-thirds of the 180 countries included in the survey scored under 50 on a scale of zero to 100, with 100 representing the absence of any corruption. TI representatives expressed particular concern about the potential for corrupt practices to have “devastating consequences” for efforts to combat global warming.

“Corruption weakens governance structures, undermines law enforcement and diverts critical climate finance intended to reduce emissions and build resilience,” the report states. “In nations where corruption is pervasive, transparency in environmental decision-making is often compromised, leading to unfair outcomes and the destruction of natural resources.”

In terms of graft, TI deems Georgia the cleanest state in the region, ranking 53rd out of 180 in the CPI table, with a score of 53. A country’s score is determined by using a formula assessing data drawn from 13 different corruption surveys and assessments compiled by “a variety of reputable institutions, including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.” Georgia’s CPI scores have remained flat since the Georgian Dream party first came to power in 2012. Last year, Georgian Dream made a radical political turn, distancing the country from the West and adopting authoritarian-style policies.

While Armenia’s, Kazakhstan’s and Uzbekistan’s CPI scores remained steady in 2024 compared to the previous year, all three have made dramatic improvements in combatting corruption over the past decade. Armenia’s CPI score, for example, has risen from 35 in 2015 to 47 this year, making it the second-cleanest state in the region. 

Uzbekistan, once a regular near the bottom of the CPI table, scored 32 points this year, up from 19 in 2015. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, has shown improvement in curbing corruption during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s tenure in power, recording a score of 40 in 2024, a 12-point increase over the past decade.

The Kremlin’s war of aggression in Ukraine has caused a significant increase of corrupt practices in already graft-ridden Russia. The country’s score has plunged from 28 in 2022, the year Russian forces launched their unprovoked attack on Ukraine to 22 last year. Kyrgyzstan has followed a similar trajectory since President Sadyr Japarov came to power in 2020, the year Kyrgyzstan achieved its best CPI score of 31. Since then, it has been all downhill, with the country receiving a score of 25 in 2024.

Not much has changed over the years for Azerbaijan (a score of 22 in 2024), Tajikistan (19) and Turkmenistan (17), states that have long ranked as among the most corrupt of the corrupt. Turkmenistan has long held the title as the most corrupt nation in Eurasia, keeping company in the CPI rankings with the likes of Haiti, Myanmar, North Korea and Nicaragua.

The United States has experienced a significant uptick in corruption in recent years, with its CPI score falling to 65 in 2024 from 76 a decade ago. The US’s score experienced a precipitous eight-point decline from 2017-2020, a timeframe coinciding with President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House.