Statizoid

Political Corruption Index in Japan

Japan: Political Corruption Index was 0.05 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.05
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
159th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.349
in 1789
All-time low
0.045
in 2021
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Political Corruption Index in Japan, 1789–2025

00.10.20.3178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, political corruption index in Japan stood at 0.05.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 37.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, political corruption index in Japan peaked at 0.349 in 1789 and was at its lowest, 0.045, in 2021.

That places Japan 159th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

Political Corruption Index in Japan, year by year

Year Value Change
1789 0.349 —
1790 0.349 +0.0%
1791 0.349 +0.0%
1792 0.349 +0.0%
1793 0.349 +0.0%
1794 0.349 +0.0%
1795 0.349 +0.0%
1796 0.349 +0.0%
1797 0.349 +0.0%
1798 0.349 +0.0%
1799 0.349 +0.0%
1800 0.349 +0.0%
1801 0.349 +0.0%
1802 0.349 +0.0%
1803 0.349 +0.0%
1804 0.349 +0.0%
1805 0.349 +0.0%
1806 0.349 +0.0%
1807 0.349 +0.0%
1808 0.349 +0.0%
1809 0.349 +0.0%
1810 0.349 +0.0%
1811 0.349 +0.0%
1812 0.349 +0.0%
1813 0.349 +0.0%
1814 0.349 +0.0%
1815 0.349 +0.0%
1816 0.349 +0.0%
1817 0.349 +0.0%
1818 0.349 +0.0%
1819 0.349 +0.0%
1820 0.349 +0.0%
1821 0.349 +0.0%
1822 0.349 +0.0%
1823 0.349 +0.0%
1824 0.349 +0.0%
1825 0.349 +0.0%
1826 0.349 +0.0%
1827 0.349 +0.0%
1828 0.349 +0.0%
1829 0.349 +0.0%
1830 0.349 +0.0%
1831 0.349 +0.0%
1832 0.349 +0.0%
1833 0.349 +0.0%
1834 0.349 +0.0%
1835 0.349 +0.0%
1836 0.349 +0.0%
1837 0.349 +0.0%
1838 0.349 +0.0%
1839 0.349 +0.0%
1840 0.349 +0.0%
1841 0.349 +0.0%
1842 0.349 +0.0%
1843 0.349 +0.0%
1844 0.349 +0.0%
1845 0.349 +0.0%
1846 0.349 +0.0%
1847 0.349 +0.0%
1848 0.349 +0.0%
1849 0.349 +0.0%
1850 0.349 +0.0%
1851 0.349 +0.0%
1852 0.349 +0.0%
1853 0.349 +0.0%
1854 0.349 +0.0%
1855 0.349 +0.0%
1856 0.349 +0.0%
1857 0.349 +0.0%
1858 0.349 +0.0%
1859 0.349 +0.0%
1860 0.221 -36.7%
1861 0.221 +0.0%
1862 0.221 +0.0%
1863 0.221 +0.0%
1864 0.221 +0.0%
1865 0.221 +0.0%
1866 0.221 +0.0%
1867 0.221 +0.0%
1868 0.191 -13.6%
1869 0.191 +0.0%
1870 0.177 -7.3%
1871 0.177 +0.0%
1872 0.177 +0.0%
1873 0.177 +0.0%
1874 0.177 +0.0%
1875 0.177 +0.0%
1876 0.177 +0.0%
1877 0.177 +0.0%
1878 0.177 +0.0%
1879 0.177 +0.0%
1880 0.177 +0.0%
1881 0.197 +11.3%
1882 0.197 +0.0%
1883 0.197 +0.0%
1884 0.197 +0.0%
1885 0.197 +0.0%
1886 0.197 +0.0%
1887 0.197 +0.0%
1888 0.197 +0.0%
1889 0.297 +50.8%
1890 0.301 +1.3%
1891 0.301 +0.0%
1892 0.301 +0.0%
1893 0.301 +0.0%
1894 0.301 +0.0%
1895 0.301 +0.0%
1896 0.301 +0.0%
1897 0.301 +0.0%
1898 0.301 +0.0%
1899 0.301 +0.0%
1900 0.25 -16.9%
1901 0.25 +0.0%
1902 0.25 +0.0%
1903 0.25 +0.0%
1904 0.25 +0.0%
1905 0.25 +0.0%
1906 0.25 +0.0%
1907 0.25 +0.0%
1908 0.25 +0.0%
1909 0.25 +0.0%
1910 0.25 +0.0%
1911 0.25 +0.0%
1912 0.25 +0.0%
1913 0.25 +0.0%
1914 0.25 +0.0%
1915 0.25 +0.0%
1916 0.25 +0.0%
1917 0.25 +0.0%
1918 0.25 +0.0%
1919 0.25 +0.0%
1920 0.25 +0.0%
1921 0.25 +0.0%
1922 0.25 +0.0%
1923 0.25 +0.0%
1924 0.25 +0.0%
1925 0.25 +0.0%
1926 0.25 +0.0%
1927 0.25 +0.0%
1928 0.25 +0.0%
1929 0.25 +0.0%
1930 0.25 +0.0%
1931 0.25 +0.0%
1932 0.25 +0.0%
1933 0.25 +0.0%
1934 0.25 +0.0%
1935 0.25 +0.0%
1936 0.25 +0.0%
1937 0.25 +0.0%
1938 0.25 +0.0%
1939 0.25 +0.0%
1940 0.25 +0.0%
1941 0.25 +0.0%
1942 0.25 +0.0%
1943 0.25 +0.0%
1944 0.25 +0.0%
1945 0.25 +0.0%
1946 0.155 -38.0%
1947 0.155 +0.0%
1948 0.141 -9.0%
1949 0.141 +0.0%
1950 0.141 +0.0%
1951 0.141 +0.0%
1952 0.141 +0.0%
1953 0.13 -7.8%
1954 0.13 +0.0%
1955 0.13 +0.0%
1956 0.13 +0.0%
1957 0.138 +6.2%
1958 0.13 -5.8%
1959 0.13 +0.0%
1960 0.13 +0.0%
1961 0.13 +0.0%
1962 0.13 +0.0%
1963 0.13 +0.0%
1964 0.13 +0.0%
1965 0.13 +0.0%
1966 0.13 +0.0%
1967 0.13 +0.0%
1968 0.13 +0.0%
1969 0.13 +0.0%
1970 0.13 +0.0%
1971 0.115 -11.5%
1972 0.115 +0.0%
1973 0.115 +0.0%
1974 0.115 +0.0%
1975 0.115 +0.0%
1976 0.115 +0.0%
1977 0.115 +0.0%
1978 0.115 +0.0%
1979 0.115 +0.0%
1980 0.123 +7.0%
1981 0.123 +0.0%
1982 0.115 -6.5%
1983 0.115 +0.0%
1984 0.115 +0.0%
1985 0.115 +0.0%
1986 0.115 +0.0%
1987 0.115 +0.0%
1988 0.115 +0.0%
1989 0.115 +0.0%
1990 0.115 +0.0%
1991 0.115 +0.0%
1992 0.115 +0.0%
1993 0.115 +0.0%
1994 0.111 -3.5%
1995 0.111 +0.0%
1996 0.111 +0.0%
1997 0.111 +0.0%
1998 0.108 -2.7%
1999 0.108 +0.0%
2000 0.108 +0.0%
2001 0.108 +0.0%
2002 0.108 +0.0%
2003 0.108 +0.0%
2004 0.108 +0.0%
2005 0.108 +0.0%
2006 0.108 +0.0%
2007 0.108 +0.0%
2008 0.108 +0.0%
2009 0.108 +0.0%
2010 0.108 +0.0%
2011 0.108 +0.0%
2012 0.108 +0.0%
2013 0.098 -9.3%
2014 0.098 +0.0%
2015 0.08 -18.4%
2016 0.093 +16.2%
2017 0.093 +0.0%
2018 0.093 +0.0%
2019 0.075 -19.4%
2020 0.075 +0.0%
2021 0.045 -40.0%
2022 0.045 +0.0%
2023 0.05 +11.1%
2024 0.05 +0.0%
2025 0.05 +0.0%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 0.05 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.085, 59% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 0.05 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.51, 10% of the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.349 0.349 0.349 1
1790s 0.349 0.349 0.349 10
1800s 0.349 0.349 0.349 10
1810s 0.349 0.349 0.349 10
1820s 0.349 0.349 0.349 10
1830s 0.349 0.349 0.349 10
1840s 0.349 0.349 0.349 10
1850s 0.349 0.349 0.349 10
1860s 0.215 0.191 0.221 10
1870s 0.177 0.177 0.177 10
1880s 0.205 0.177 0.297 10
1890s 0.301 0.301 0.301 10
1900s 0.25 0.25 0.25 10
1910s 0.25 0.25 0.25 10
1920s 0.25 0.25 0.25 10
1930s 0.25 0.25 0.25 10
1940s 0.2092 0.141 0.25 10
1950s 0.1341 0.13 0.141 10
1960s 0.13 0.13 0.13 10
1970s 0.1165 0.115 0.13 10
1980s 0.1166 0.115 0.123 10
1990s 0.112 0.108 0.115 10
2000s 0.108 0.108 0.108 10
2010s 0.0954 0.075 0.108 10
2020s 0.0525 0.045 0.075 6

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 156 France 0.056 compare
  2. 157 Uruguay 0.055 compare
  3. 158 Seychelles 0.054 compare
  4. 160 United Kingdom 0.042 compare
  5. 161 Ireland 0.032 compare
  6. 162 Belgium 0.031 compare
  7. 162 Finland 0.031 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is political corruption index in Japan?
Political corruption index in Japan was 0.05 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest political corruption index recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 0.349 in 1789.
What is the lowest political corruption index recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.045 in 2021.
How does Japan rank for political corruption index?
Japan ranks 159th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is political corruption index rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Corruption Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Political Corruption Index in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 November 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/political-corruption-index/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Political Corruption Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 25,295 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Central estimate of the extent to which a country is affected by political corruption.