Legislative Corruption Score in China
China: Legislative Corruption Score was 0.417 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Legislative Corruption Score in China, 1912–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for legislative corruption score in China is 0.417, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 47.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, legislative corruption score in China peaked at 2.56 in 1954 and was at its lowest, 0.386, in 1912.
China ranks 67th of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Legislative Corruption Score in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1912 | 0.386 | — |
| 1913 | 0.709 | +83.7% |
| 1916 | 0.501 | -29.3% |
| 1918 | 0.556 | +11.0% |
| 1919 | 0.556 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.438 | -21.2% |
| 1923 | 0.438 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.388 | -11.4% |
| 1954 | 2.56 | +559.3% |
| 1955 | 2.56 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 2.56 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2.56 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 1.87 | -26.8% |
| 1959 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1.87 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.43 | -23.9% |
| 1969 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1.43 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1.37 | -3.9% |
| 1981 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1.37 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.06 | -22.6% |
| 1986 | 1.06 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1.06 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.06 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1.06 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.06 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1.06 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.861 | -18.8% |
| 1993 | 0.861 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.861 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.861 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.861 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.861 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.861 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.655 | -23.9% |
| 2000 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.655 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.663 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.663 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.739 | +11.5% |
| 2013 | 0.738 | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 0.792 | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 0.792 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.792 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.792 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.792 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.792 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.792 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.792 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.746 | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 0.417 | -44.1% |
| 2024 | 0.417 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.417 | +0.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0.417 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is -0.683. (48 countries reporting)
- China's 0.417 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.3625, 1.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.5416 | 0.386 | 0.709 | 5 |
| 1920s | 0.438 | 0.438 | 0.438 | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.388 | 0.388 | 0.388 | 1 |
| 1950s | 2.33 | 1.87 | 2.56 | 6 |
| 1960s | 1.78 | 1.43 | 1.87 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.43 | 1.43 | 1.43 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.22 | 1.06 | 1.37 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8802 | 0.655 | 1.06 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.655 | 0.655 | 0.655 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7555 | 0.663 | 0.792 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5968 | 0.417 | 0.792 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More social development data for China
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 230 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 153,962 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 153,962 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is legislative corruption score in China?
- Legislative corruption score in China was 0.417 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest legislative corruption score recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2.56 in 1954.
- What is the lowest legislative corruption score recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.386 in 1912.
- How does China rank for legislative corruption score?
- China ranks 67th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is legislative corruption score rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Legislative Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 80 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which members of the legislature abuse their position for financial gain, such as bribes, government contracts, future employment, or stealing from the state. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.