Which has higher public sector corruption index, Germany or Sweden?

Sweden, at 0.019 against 0.013 in Germany as of 2025.

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

191 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.

Germany vs Sweden: Public Sector Corruption Index

Germany

0.013

in 2025

Sweden

0.019

in 2025

Germany rank

169th

Sweden rank

166th

Public Sector Corruption Index over time

Germany
Sweden

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 0.019 against 0.013 in Germany, a difference of 0.006.

That makes Sweden's figure about 1.5 times Germany's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 191 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Sweden ahead.

Germany ranks 169th and Sweden ranks 166th of 176 countries.

Across the 21 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 9 and Sweden in 12.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Germany	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.065	0.449	0.384	Sweden
1790s	0.065	0.449	0.384	Sweden
1800s	0.065	0.449	0.384	Sweden
1810s	0.065	0.449	0.384	Sweden
1820s	0.065	0.449	0.384	Sweden
1830s	0.065	0.449	0.384	Sweden
1840s	0.065	0.449	0.384	Sweden
1850s	0.065	0.449	0.384	Sweden
1860s	0.065	0.076	0.011	Sweden
1870s	0.065	0.076	0.011	Sweden
1880s	0.065	0.032	0.033	Germany
1890s	0.065	0.005	0.06	Germany
1900s	0.065	0.005	0.06	Germany
1910s	0.0728	0.005	0.0678	Germany
1920s	0.065	0.005	0.06	Germany
1930s	0.1982	0.005	0.1932	Germany
1940s	0.261	0.005	0.256	Germany
1990s	0.007	0.005	0.002	Germany
2000s	0.007	0.0058	0.0012	Germany
2010s	0.0084	0.012	0.0036	Sweden
2020s	0.013	0.0173	0.0043	Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public sector corruption index, Germany or Sweden?: Sweden, at 0.019 against 0.013 in Germany as of 2025.
What is the difference in public sector corruption index between Germany and Sweden?: 0.006, with Sweden ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Sweden?: 191 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Germany and Sweden rank globally for public sector corruption index?: Germany ranks 169th and Sweden ranks 166th 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).