Which has higher public sector corruption index, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia, at 0.428 against 0.406 in Kuwait as of 2025.

What is the difference in public sector corruption index between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia?

0.022, with Saudi Arabia ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Kuwait and Saudi Arabia?

234 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.

Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia: Public Sector Corruption Index

Kuwait

0.406

in 2025

Saudi Arabia

0.428

in 2025

Kuwait rank

101st

Saudi Arabia rank

98th

Public Sector Corruption Index over time

Kuwait
Saudi Arabia

How they compare

Saudi Arabia currently reports 0.428 against 0.406 in Kuwait, a difference of 0.022.

That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times Kuwait's.

Across all 234 years both countries report, Saudi Arabia has been ahead every year.

Kuwait ranks 101st and Saudi Arabia ranks 98th of 176 countries.

Saudi Arabia has averaged higher in every one of the 25 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Kuwait	Saudi Arabia	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.279	0.8	0.521	Saudi Arabia
1790s	0.279	0.8	0.521	Saudi Arabia
1800s	0.279	0.8	0.521	Saudi Arabia
1810s	0.279	0.8	0.521	Saudi Arabia
1820s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1830s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1840s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1850s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1860s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1870s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1880s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1890s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1900s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1910s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1920s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1930s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1940s	0.279	0.676	0.397	Saudi Arabia
1950s	0.279	0.6634	0.3844	Saudi Arabia
1960s	0.2745	0.6363	0.3618	Saudi Arabia
1970s	0.274	0.6345	0.3605	Saudi Arabia
1980s	0.3432	0.642	0.2988	Saudi Arabia
1990s	0.4086	0.642	0.2334	Saudi Arabia
2000s	0.4578	0.642	0.1842	Saudi Arabia
2010s	0.507	0.6342	0.1272	Saudi Arabia
2020s	0.4397	0.46	0.0203	Saudi Arabia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public sector corruption index, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia?: Saudi Arabia, at 0.428 against 0.406 in Kuwait as of 2025.
What is the difference in public sector corruption index between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia?: 0.022, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Kuwait and Saudi Arabia?: 234 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Kuwait and Saudi Arabia rank globally for public sector corruption index?: Kuwait ranks 101st and Saudi Arabia ranks 98th 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).