Public Sector Corruption Index in Ireland
Ireland: Public Sector Corruption Index was 0.02 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Public Sector Corruption Index in Ireland, 1919–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for public sector corruption index in Ireland is 0.02, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 107 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public sector corruption index in Ireland peaked at 0.109 in 1922 and was at its lowest, 0.02, in 2017.
That places Ireland 164th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 107 years of available data.
Public Sector Corruption Index in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 0.091 | — |
| 1920 | 0.091 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.091 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.109 | +19.8% |
| 1923 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.109 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.076 | -30.3% |
| 1926 | 0.051 | -32.9% |
| 1927 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.051 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.031 | -39.2% |
| 1999 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.024 | -22.6% |
| 2010 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.02 | -16.7% |
| 2018 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 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% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 0.02 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.093, 22% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 0.02 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.1945, 10% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.091 | 0.091 | 0.091 | 1 |
| 1920s | 0.0789 | 0.051 | 0.109 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.051 | 0.051 | 0.051 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.051 | 0.051 | 0.051 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.051 | 0.051 | 0.051 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.051 | 0.051 | 0.051 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.051 | 0.051 | 0.051 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.051 | 0.051 | 0.051 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.047 | 0.031 | 0.051 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0303 | 0.024 | 0.031 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0228 | 0.02 | 0.024 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 161 United States 0.029 compare
- 162 Netherlands 0.023 compare
- 163 Luxembourg 0.021 compare
- 164 Australia 0.02 compare
- 166 France 0.019 compare
- 166 Sweden 0.019 compare
More social development data for Ireland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 137,869 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 69 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 69 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0251 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 public sector corruption index in Ireland?
- Public sector corruption index in Ireland 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 0.109 in 1922.
- What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.02 in 2017.
- How does Ireland rank for public sector corruption index?
- Ireland ranks 164th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is public sector corruption index rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland 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 — 107 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 public sector employees engage in bribery and theft. The index ranges from 0 to 1 (highly corrupt).