Which has higher public sector corruption index, Iran or Lesotho?

Iran, at 0.661 against 0.657 in Lesotho as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Lesotho?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 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.

Iran vs Lesotho: Public Sector Corruption Index

Iran

0.661

in 2025

Lesotho

0.657

in 2025

Iran rank

66th

Lesotho rank

67th

Public Sector Corruption Index over time

Iran
Lesotho

How they compare

Iran currently reports 0.661 against 0.657 in Lesotho, a difference of 0.004.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Iran ahead.

Iran ranks 66th and Lesotho ranks 67th of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 9 and Lesotho in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Iran	Lesotho	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.522	0.159	0.363	Iran
1910s	0.522	0.159	0.363	Iran
1920s	0.371	0.159	0.212	Iran
1930s	0.2056	0.159	0.0466	Iran
1940s	0.196	0.159	0.037	Iran
1950s	0.196	0.159	0.037	Iran
1960s	0.196	0.1866	0.0094	Iran
1970s	0.2259	0.596	0.3701	Lesotho
1980s	0.48	0.599	0.119	Lesotho
1990s	0.4581	0.529	0.0709	Lesotho
2000s	0.5385	0.6825	0.144	Lesotho
2010s	0.6668	0.599	0.0678	Iran
2020s	0.662	0.6458	0.0162	Iran

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public sector corruption index, Iran or Lesotho?: Iran, at 0.661 against 0.657 in Lesotho as of 2025.
What is the difference in public sector corruption index between Iran and Lesotho?: 0.004, with Iran ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Lesotho?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Iran and Lesotho rank globally for public sector corruption index?: Iran ranks 66th and Lesotho ranks 67th 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).