Which has higher political corruption index, Denmark or Sweden?

Sweden, at 0.009 against 0.004 in Denmark as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?

237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Political Corruption Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Denmark vs Sweden: Political Corruption Index

Denmark

0.004

in 2025

Sweden

0.009

in 2025

Denmark rank

176th

Sweden rank

175th

Political Corruption Index over time

Denmark
Sweden

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 0.009 against 0.004 in Denmark, a difference of 0.005.

That makes Sweden's figure about 2.2 times Denmark's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Sweden ahead.

Denmark ranks 176th and Sweden ranks 175th of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, Denmark averaged higher in 7 and Sweden in 18.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Denmark	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.008	0.32	0.312	Sweden
1790s	0.008	0.32	0.312	Sweden
1800s	0.008	0.3238	0.3158	Sweden
1810s	0.008	0.1456	0.1376	Sweden
1820s	0.008	0.122	0.114	Sweden
1830s	0.008	0.122	0.114	Sweden
1840s	0.012	0.122	0.11	Sweden
1850s	0.028	0.122	0.094	Sweden
1860s	0.028	0.029	0.001	Sweden
1870s	0.028	0.029	0.001	Sweden
1880s	0.028	0.017	0.011	Denmark
1890s	0.028	0.008	0.02	Denmark
1900s	0.0302	0.008	0.0222	Denmark
1910s	0.026	0.008	0.018	Denmark
1920s	0.0139	0.008	0.0059	Denmark
1930s	0.007	0.008	0.001	Sweden
1940s	0.0055	0.0064	0.0009	Sweden
1950s	0.007	0.004	0.003	Denmark
1960s	0.0065	0.004	0.0025	Denmark
1970s	0.002	0.004	0.002	Sweden
1980s	0.002	0.004	0.002	Sweden
1990s	0.002	0.004	0.002	Sweden
2000s	0.002	0.004	0.002	Sweden
2010s	0.002	0.0061	0.0041	Sweden
2020s	0.0028	0.0087	0.0058	Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher political corruption index, Denmark or Sweden?: Sweden, at 0.009 against 0.004 in Denmark as of 2025.
What is the difference in political corruption index between Denmark and Sweden?: 0.005, with Sweden ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Sweden?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Denmark and Sweden rank globally for political corruption index?: Denmark ranks 176th and Sweden ranks 175th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Political Corruption Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Political Corruption Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 25,295 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which a country is affected by political corruption.