What is public sector corruption index in China?

Public sector corruption index in China was 0.498 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest public sector corruption index recorded in China?

The highest recorded value was 0.885 in 1789.

What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in China?

The lowest recorded value was 0.359 in 1950.

How does China rank for public sector corruption index?

China ranks 90th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is public sector corruption index rising or falling in China?

Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this China 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.

Public Sector Corruption Index in China

Name: Public Sector Corruption Index in China
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

China: Public Sector Corruption Index was 0.498 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)

0.498

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

90th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.885

in 1789

All-time low

0.359

in 1950

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Public Sector Corruption Index in China, 1789–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, public sector corruption index in China stood at 0.498.

That represents a change of down 6.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector corruption index in China peaked at 0.885 in 1789 and was at its lowest, 0.359, in 1950.

China ranks 90th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.885	0.885	0.885	1
1790s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1800s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1810s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1820s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1830s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1840s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1850s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1860s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1870s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1880s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1890s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1900s	0.885	0.885	0.885	10
1910s	0.8738	0.871	0.885	10
1920s	0.8312	0.735	0.859	10
1930s	0.735	0.735	0.735	10
1940s	0.7142	0.527	0.735	10
1950s	0.359	0.359	0.359	10
1960s	0.359	0.359	0.359	10
1970s	0.3799	0.359	0.462	10
1980s	0.6201	0.604	0.633	10
1990s	0.6418	0.633	0.644	10
2000s	0.6408	0.636	0.644	10
2010s	0.5601	0.483	0.645	10
2020s	0.4892	0.467	0.498	6

Countries ranked near China

87 Thailand 0.522 compare
88 Burkina Faso 0.519 compare
89 North Macedonia 0.517 compare
91 Zambia 0.494 compare
92 Guyana 0.488 compare
93 Vietnam 0.48 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for China

Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 230 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 153,962 (2025)
Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.072 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.045 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.03 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.072 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.036 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.039 (2025)

All data for China →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector corruption index in China?: Public sector corruption index in China was 0.498 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest public sector corruption index recorded in China?: The highest recorded value was 0.885 in 1789.
What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in China?: The lowest recorded value was 0.359 in 1950.
How does China rank for public sector corruption index?: China ranks 90th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is public sector corruption index rising or falling in China?: Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this China 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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).