What is legislative corruption score in United States?

Legislative corruption score in United States was 1.05 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest legislative corruption score recorded in United States?

The highest recorded value was 1.42 in 1965.

What is the lowest legislative corruption score recorded in United States?

The lowest recorded value was 0.961 in 1789.

How does United States rank for legislative corruption score?

United States ranks 39th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.

Is legislative corruption score rising or falling in United States?

Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this United States 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.

Legislative Corruption Score in United States

Name: Legislative Corruption Score in United States
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

United States: Legislative Corruption Score was 1.05 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

1.05

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

39th

of 174 countries

All-time high

1.42

in 1965

All-time low

0.961

in 1789

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Legislative Corruption Score in United States, 1789–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, legislative corruption score in United States stood at 1.05.

That represents a change of down 4.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, legislative corruption score in United States peaked at 1.42 in 1965 and was at its lowest, 0.961, in 1789.

United States ranks 39th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.961	0.961	0.961	1
1790s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1800s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1810s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1820s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1830s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1840s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1850s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1860s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1870s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1880s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1890s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1900s	0.961	0.961	0.961	10
1910s	1.1	0.961	1.16	10
1920s	1.18	1.16	1.19	10
1930s	1.19	1.19	1.19	10
1940s	1.24	1.19	1.38	10
1950s	1.26	1.26	1.26	10
1960s	1.33	1.26	1.42	10
1970s	1.31	1.31	1.31	10
1980s	1.14	1.1	1.31	10
1990s	1.1	1.1	1.1	10
2000s	1.1	1.1	1.1	10
2010s	1.07	0.972	1.1	10
2020s	1.05	1.05	1.05	6

Countries ranked near United States

36 Sao Tome and Principe 1.1 compare
37 Cyprus 1.1 compare
38 Jamaica 1.07 compare
40 Saudi Arabia 1.01 compare
41 Italy 0.999 compare
42 Moldova 0.995 compare
42 Tunisia 0.995 compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More social development data for United States

Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 457,647 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 3,667 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.735 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.729 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.913 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.735 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.51 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.571 (2025)

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is legislative corruption score in United States?: Legislative corruption score in United States was 1.05 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest legislative corruption score recorded in United States?: The highest recorded value was 1.42 in 1965.
What is the lowest legislative corruption score recorded in United States?: The lowest recorded value was 0.961 in 1789.
How does United States rank for legislative corruption score?: United States ranks 39th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is legislative corruption score rising or falling in United States?: Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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 — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Legislative Corruption Score
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 174 places, 17,541 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.