Public Sector Corruption Index in Australia

Australia: Public Sector Corruption Index was 0.02 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.02
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
164th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.643
in 1793
All-time low
0.01
in 1950
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Public Sector Corruption Index in Australia, 1789–2025

00.20.40.6178919072025

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

Analysis

Australia recorded 0.02 for public sector corruption index in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector corruption index in Australia peaked at 0.643 in 1793 and was at its lowest, 0.01, in 1950.

Australia ranks 164th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Public Sector Corruption Index in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Public Sector Corruption Index in Australia, 1789 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1789 0.142
1790 0.142 +0.0%
1791 0.142 +0.0%
1792 0.142 +0.0%
1793 0.643 +352.8%
1794 0.643 +0.0%
1795 0.643 +0.0%
1796 0.643 +0.0%
1797 0.643 +0.0%
1798 0.643 +0.0%
1799 0.643 +0.0%
1800 0.643 +0.0%
1801 0.643 +0.0%
1802 0.643 +0.0%
1803 0.643 +0.0%
1804 0.643 +0.0%
1805 0.643 +0.0%
1806 0.643 +0.0%
1807 0.643 +0.0%
1808 0.643 +0.0%
1809 0.643 +0.0%
1810 0.016 -97.5%
1811 0.016 +0.0%
1812 0.016 +0.0%
1813 0.016 +0.0%
1814 0.016 +0.0%
1815 0.016 +0.0%
1816 0.016 +0.0%
1817 0.016 +0.0%
1818 0.016 +0.0%
1819 0.016 +0.0%
1820 0.016 +0.0%
1821 0.016 +0.0%
1822 0.016 +0.0%
1823 0.016 +0.0%
1824 0.016 +0.0%
1825 0.016 +0.0%
1826 0.016 +0.0%
1827 0.016 +0.0%
1828 0.016 +0.0%
1829 0.016 +0.0%
1830 0.016 +0.0%
1831 0.016 +0.0%
1832 0.016 +0.0%
1833 0.016 +0.0%
1834 0.016 +0.0%
1835 0.016 +0.0%
1836 0.016 +0.0%
1837 0.016 +0.0%
1838 0.016 +0.0%
1839 0.016 +0.0%
1840 0.016 +0.0%
1841 0.016 +0.0%
1842 0.016 +0.0%
1843 0.016 +0.0%
1844 0.016 +0.0%
1845 0.016 +0.0%
1846 0.016 +0.0%
1847 0.016 +0.0%
1848 0.016 +0.0%
1849 0.016 +0.0%
1850 0.016 +0.0%
1851 0.016 +0.0%
1852 0.016 +0.0%
1853 0.016 +0.0%
1854 0.016 +0.0%
1855 0.016 +0.0%
1856 0.016 +0.0%
1857 0.016 +0.0%
1858 0.016 +0.0%
1859 0.016 +0.0%
1860 0.016 +0.0%
1861 0.016 +0.0%
1862 0.016 +0.0%
1863 0.016 +0.0%
1864 0.016 +0.0%
1865 0.016 +0.0%
1866 0.016 +0.0%
1867 0.016 +0.0%
1868 0.016 +0.0%
1869 0.016 +0.0%
1870 0.016 +0.0%
1871 0.016 +0.0%
1872 0.016 +0.0%
1873 0.016 +0.0%
1874 0.016 +0.0%
1875 0.016 +0.0%
1876 0.016 +0.0%
1877 0.016 +0.0%
1878 0.016 +0.0%
1879 0.016 +0.0%
1880 0.016 +0.0%
1881 0.016 +0.0%
1882 0.016 +0.0%
1883 0.016 +0.0%
1884 0.016 +0.0%
1885 0.016 +0.0%
1886 0.016 +0.0%
1887 0.016 +0.0%
1888 0.016 +0.0%
1889 0.016 +0.0%
1890 0.016 +0.0%
1891 0.016 +0.0%
1892 0.016 +0.0%
1893 0.016 +0.0%
1894 0.016 +0.0%
1895 0.016 +0.0%
1896 0.016 +0.0%
1897 0.016 +0.0%
1898 0.016 +0.0%
1899 0.016 +0.0%
1900 0.016 +0.0%
1901 0.016 +0.0%
1902 0.016 +0.0%
1903 0.016 +0.0%
1904 0.016 +0.0%
1905 0.016 +0.0%
1906 0.016 +0.0%
1907 0.016 +0.0%
1908 0.016 +0.0%
1909 0.016 +0.0%
1910 0.016 +0.0%
1911 0.016 +0.0%
1912 0.016 +0.0%
1913 0.016 +0.0%
1914 0.016 +0.0%
1915 0.016 +0.0%
1916 0.016 +0.0%
1917 0.016 +0.0%
1918 0.016 +0.0%
1919 0.016 +0.0%
1920 0.016 +0.0%
1921 0.016 +0.0%
1922 0.016 +0.0%
1923 0.016 +0.0%
1924 0.016 +0.0%
1925 0.016 +0.0%
1926 0.016 +0.0%
1927 0.016 +0.0%
1928 0.016 +0.0%
1929 0.016 +0.0%
1930 0.016 +0.0%
1931 0.016 +0.0%
1932 0.016 +0.0%
1933 0.016 +0.0%
1934 0.016 +0.0%
1935 0.016 +0.0%
1936 0.016 +0.0%
1937 0.016 +0.0%
1938 0.016 +0.0%
1939 0.016 +0.0%
1940 0.016 +0.0%
1941 0.016 +0.0%
1942 0.016 +0.0%
1943 0.016 +0.0%
1944 0.016 +0.0%
1945 0.016 +0.0%
1946 0.016 +0.0%
1947 0.016 +0.0%
1948 0.016 +0.0%
1949 0.016 +0.0%
1950 0.01 -37.5%
1951 0.01 +0.0%
1952 0.01 +0.0%
1953 0.01 +0.0%
1954 0.01 +0.0%
1955 0.01 +0.0%
1956 0.01 +0.0%
1957 0.01 +0.0%
1958 0.01 +0.0%
1959 0.01 +0.0%
1960 0.01 +0.0%
1961 0.01 +0.0%
1962 0.01 +0.0%
1963 0.01 +0.0%
1964 0.01 +0.0%
1965 0.01 +0.0%
1966 0.01 +0.0%
1967 0.01 +0.0%
1968 0.01 +0.0%
1969 0.01 +0.0%
1970 0.01 +0.0%
1971 0.01 +0.0%
1972 0.01 +0.0%
1973 0.01 +0.0%
1974 0.01 +0.0%
1975 0.01 +0.0%
1976 0.01 +0.0%
1977 0.01 +0.0%
1978 0.01 +0.0%
1979 0.01 +0.0%
1980 0.01 +0.0%
1981 0.01 +0.0%
1982 0.01 +0.0%
1983 0.01 +0.0%
1984 0.01 +0.0%
1985 0.01 +0.0%
1986 0.01 +0.0%
1987 0.01 +0.0%
1988 0.01 +0.0%
1989 0.01 +0.0%
1990 0.01 +0.0%
1991 0.01 +0.0%
1992 0.01 +0.0%
1993 0.01 +0.0%
1994 0.01 +0.0%
1995 0.01 +0.0%
1996 0.01 +0.0%
1997 0.01 +0.0%
1998 0.01 +0.0%
1999 0.01 +0.0%
2000 0.01 +0.0%
2001 0.01 +0.0%
2002 0.01 +0.0%
2003 0.01 +0.0%
2004 0.01 +0.0%
2005 0.01 +0.0%
2006 0.01 +0.0%
2007 0.01 +0.0%
2008 0.01 +0.0%
2009 0.01 +0.0%
2010 0.01 +0.0%
2011 0.01 +0.0%
2012 0.01 +0.0%
2013 0.026 +160.0%
2014 0.021 -19.2%
2015 0.021 +0.0%
2016 0.021 +0.0%
2017 0.016 -23.8%
2018 0.02 +25.0%
2019 0.02 +0.0%
2020 0.02 +0.0%
2021 0.02 +0.0%
2022 0.02 +0.0%
2023 0.02 +0.0%
2024 0.02 +0.0%
2025 0.02 +0.0%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 0.02 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.093, 22% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 0.02 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.489, 4% of the median. (22 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.142 0.142 0.142 1
1790s 0.4927 0.142 0.643 10
1800s 0.643 0.643 0.643 10
1810s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1820s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1830s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1840s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1850s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1860s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1870s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1880s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1890s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1900s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1910s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1920s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1930s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1940s 0.016 0.016 0.016 10
1950s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1960s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1970s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1980s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
1990s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
2000s 0.01 0.01 0.01 10
2010s 0.0175 0.01 0.026 10
2020s 0.02 0.02 0.02 6

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 161 United States 0.029 compare
  2. 162 Netherlands 0.023 compare
  3. 163 Luxembourg 0.021 compare
  4. 164 Ireland 0.02 compare
  5. 166 France 0.019 compare
  6. 166 Sweden 0.019 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector corruption index in Australia?
Public sector corruption index in Australia was 0.02 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest public sector corruption index recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 0.643 in 1793.
What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.01 in 1950.
How does Australia rank for public sector corruption index?
Australia ranks 164th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is public sector corruption index rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Public Sector Corruption Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public Sector Corruption Index in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-corruption-index/australia/

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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

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).