Iraq Improves Score On Corruption Index But Little Has Changed

  

Transparency International (TI) just released its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2025 and Iraq improved its score and standing. That was done for superficial reasons.

 

Transparency International goes through literature on each country and gives them a score and ranking based upon the government’s attempt or lack thereof to fight corruption. The higher the score the less graft there is.

 

In the 2025 Index Iraq had a score of 28 and was ranked 136 out of 181 nations. In the previous year the country had a score of 26 and was ranked 140^th. The reason for the improvement was that TI said that Baghdad’s anti-corruption agencies were pushing for reform even though it was unclear whether they would be successful or not.

 

The problem with this assessment is that the Iraqi government has been talking about fighting graft and theft for years and nothing ever changes. Each political party for instance has an economic office whose duty it is to negotiate government contracts and get payoffs for doing so. Deals are given to friends of politicians to be exploited. Sometimes there is nothing but a contract and not even a real company because the whole point is to steal money.

 

The government’s efforts against corruption are superficial. The anti-corruption agencies are under political control so they only go after lowly officials who have no protection from the party bosses. Parliament passes amnesty laws that include individuals caught for graft such as one last year that gave amnesty to people involved in the Theft of the Century where $2.5 billion was stolen.

 

Corruption has been institutionalized by the ruling elite to maintain their power. That’s the reason why nothing is really done about it. TI can find examples of Baghdad talking about doing more but it will have no real effect.

 

SOURCES

 

Al Mada, “Ghost economy in Mosul: Companies with no real presence win contracts worth millions of dinars,” 12/1/25

 

Al Rafidain, “Ninewa Governor: Party Offices And Economic Militias Control The Governorate’s Institutions,” 2/17/24

 

Shafaq News, “Iraqi Parliament grants amnesty to key figures in the Theft of the Century,” 1/21/25

- “Parliament probes +$30B corruption in Basra government,” 11/2/25

 

Transparency International, “Corruption Perceptions Index 2024,”

- “Corruption Perceptions Index 2025,” February 2026

- “Corruption Perceptions Index 2025: Stronger Institutions, Freer Civic Space Needed In Middle East And North Africa,” February 2026