Turkmenistan has experienced a dramatic fall in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, dropping five places since 2016 to rank 165th among 180 countries in 2024. Turkmenistan currently scores 17 out of 100 on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), where 0 indicates very high corruption and 100 indicates very clean governance.
The CPI score assessments are based on how common bribery, misuse of public funds, abuse of power are, as well as how effectively corruption is controlled and how transparent government institutions are.
Transparency International defines corruption as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain”, which erodes trust, weakens democracy and slows economic growth.
Corruption in Turkmenistan is systematic and deeply embedded within the government, the economy, and society. While the government has legislation to combat it, the national policies are largely for show and are not enforced effectively.
Turkmenistan ranks lowest in the region, placing it among the worst performers in Central Asia and worldwide. Similarly, Kyrgyzstan is on the list of countries with deteriorating ranking, falling six places since 2020 to a score of 25. This drop is closely tied to the recently enacted “foreign agent” law, which has tightened restrictions on civic space and freedoms by imposing restrictive controls and penalties on journalists, activists, and civil society groups. In contrast, Kazakhstan, with a score of 40, has risen 11 places since 2016, while Uzbekistan has advanced 13 places since 2015 to reach a score of 32, emerging as a significant improvers.
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SUPPORT OUR WORKRegional Overview of Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Source: Transparency International,
CPI 2024: Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
According to the Transparency International, corruption continues to flourish across Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries due to weak democratic institutions and the rule of law, which is further eroded by inadequate laws governing political financing, lobbying disclosure, and transparency of beneficial ownership. Currently, the region’s average score remains one of the lowest globally on the 2024 CPI at 35 out of 100.
Across Eastern Europe and Central Asia electoral processes are increasingly undermined, and the opaque management of natural resources, particularly in the energy sector, is being misused to sustain wealth and power rather than promote human development, a trend common to all countries in the region.
