Which has higher public sector corruption index, China or Thailand?

Thailand, at 0.522 against 0.498 in China as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for China and Thailand?

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 Public Sector Corruption Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

China vs Thailand: Public Sector Corruption Index

China

0.498

in 2025

Thailand

0.522

in 2025

China rank

90th

Thailand rank

87th

Public Sector Corruption Index over time

China
Thailand

How they compare

Thailand currently reports 0.522 against 0.498 in China, a difference of 0.024.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was China ahead.

China ranks 90th and Thailand ranks 87th of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, China averaged higher in 17 and Thailand in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade	China	Thailand	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1790s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1800s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1810s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1820s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1830s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1840s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1850s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1860s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1870s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1880s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1890s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1900s	0.885	0.809	0.076	China
1910s	0.8738	0.809	0.0648	China
1920s	0.8312	0.809	0.0222	China
1930s	0.735	0.7671	0.0321	Thailand
1940s	0.7142	0.752	0.0378	Thailand
1950s	0.359	0.752	0.393	Thailand
1960s	0.359	0.752	0.393	Thailand
1970s	0.3799	0.752	0.3721	Thailand
1980s	0.6201	0.7086	0.0885	Thailand
1990s	0.6418	0.655	0.0132	Thailand
2000s	0.6408	0.507	0.1338	China
2010s	0.5601	0.5205	0.0396	China
2020s	0.4892	0.522	0.0328	Thailand

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public sector corruption index, China or Thailand?: Thailand, at 0.522 against 0.498 in China as of 2025.
What is the difference in public sector corruption index between China and Thailand?: 0.024, with Thailand ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and Thailand?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do China and Thailand rank globally for public sector corruption index?: China ranks 90th and Thailand ranks 87th of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Public Sector Corruption Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Public Sector Corruption Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 25,541 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which public sector employees engage in bribery and theft. The index ranges from 0 to 1 (highly corrupt).