What is public sector corruption index in Japan?

Public sector corruption index in Japan was 0.036 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

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

The highest recorded value was 0.205 in 1789.

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

The lowest recorded value was 0.036 in 1998.

How does Japan rank for public sector corruption index?

Japan ranks 159th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is public sector corruption index rising or falling in Japan?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Japan 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 Japan

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

Japan: Public Sector Corruption Index was 0.036 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.036

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

159th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.205

in 1789

All-time low

0.036

in 1998

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Public Sector Corruption Index in Japan, 1789–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for public sector corruption index in Japan is 0.036, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 237 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector corruption index in Japan peaked at 0.205 in 1789 and was at its lowest, 0.036, in 1998.

Japan ranks 159th 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.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	0.205	0.205	0.205	1
1790s	0.205	0.205	0.205	10
1800s	0.205	0.205	0.205	10
1810s	0.205	0.205	0.205	10
1820s	0.205	0.205	0.205	10
1830s	0.205	0.205	0.205	10
1840s	0.205	0.205	0.205	10
1850s	0.205	0.205	0.205	10
1860s	0.1858	0.109	0.205	10
1870s	0.068	0.068	0.068	10
1880s	0.1274	0.068	0.134	10
1890s	0.134	0.134	0.134	10
1900s	0.134	0.134	0.134	10
1910s	0.134	0.134	0.134	10
1920s	0.134	0.134	0.134	10
1930s	0.134	0.134	0.134	10
1940s	0.1156	0.088	0.134	10
1950s	0.0593	0.047	0.088	10
1960s	0.047	0.047	0.047	10
1970s	0.047	0.047	0.047	10
1980s	0.047	0.047	0.047	10
1990s	0.0448	0.036	0.047	10
2000s	0.036	0.036	0.036	10
2010s	0.036	0.036	0.036	10
2020s	0.036	0.036	0.036	6

Countries ranked near Japan

156 Poland 0.051 compare
157 Finland 0.048 compare
158 Estonia 0.037 compare
160 Belgium 0.033 compare
161 United States 0.029 compare
162 Netherlands 0.023 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Japan

Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 42,450 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 56 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.819 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.847 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.924 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.819 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.526 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.734 (2025)

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector corruption index in Japan?: Public sector corruption index in Japan was 0.036 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest public sector corruption index recorded in Japan?: The highest recorded value was 0.205 in 1789.
What is the lowest public sector corruption index recorded in Japan?: The lowest recorded value was 0.036 in 1998.
How does Japan rank for public sector corruption index?: Japan ranks 159th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is public sector corruption index rising or falling in Japan?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan 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).