Which country in Asia has the best control of corruption?

Singapore has the best control of corruption in Asia: an estimate of +1.97 (2024). Next come Bhutan (an estimate of +1.47) and Japan (an estimate of +1.36).

Which country in Asia has the worst control of corruption?

Syria, with an estimate of −1.70 (2024).

What is the typical control of corruption of a country in Asia?

The median of the 48 countries in Asia is an estimate of −0.38: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.

Where do the figures come from?

How well public power is kept from being used for private gain, petty or grand, as the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators estimate it from surveys and experts: about −2.5 (most corrupt) to +2.5 (least). Source: World Bank, 2024. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Countries in Asia by control of corruption

How well public power is kept from being used for private gain, petty or grand, as the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators estimate it from surveys and experts: about −2.5 (most corrupt) to +2.5 (least). 48 countries in Asia, highest first. World Bank, 2024

See it on the map

Map: Control of corruption — Asia — **−1.5−0.75−0.25+0.25+0.75+1.5**No data

Highest

+1.97

Singapore

Median country

−0.38

half above, half below

Lowest

−1.70

Syria

Countries in Asia by control of corruption, World Bank, 2024
#	Country	Estimate	Region
1	Singapore	+1.97	South-Eastern Asia
2	Bhutan	+1.47	Southern Asia
3	Japan	+1.36	Eastern Asia
4	Brunei	+1.19	South-Eastern Asia
5	Taiwan	+1.18	Eastern Asia
6	United Arab Emirates	+1.17	Western Asia
=7	Israel	+0.85	Western Asia
=7	South Korea	+0.85	Eastern Asia
=9	Qatar	+0.75	Western Asia
=9	Saudi Arabia	+0.75	Western Asia
11	Cyprus	+0.53	Western Asia
12	Oman	+0.51	Western Asia
13	Malaysia	+0.50	South-Eastern Asia
14	Georgia	+0.38	Western Asia
15	Jordan	+0.27	Western Asia
16	Bahrain	+0.25	Western Asia
17	Kuwait	+0.22	Western Asia
18	Armenia	+0.14	Western Asia
19	China	+0.09	Eastern Asia
20	Kazakhstan	−0.07	Central Asia
21	Vietnam	−0.25	South-Eastern Asia
22	India	−0.30	Southern Asia
23	Maldives	−0.34	Southern Asia
=24	Sri Lanka	−0.38	Southern Asia
=24	Timor-Leste	−0.38	South-Eastern Asia
26	Mongolia	−0.49	Eastern Asia
27	Thailand	−0.53	South-Eastern Asia
28	Indonesia	−0.54	South-Eastern Asia
29	Turkey	−0.56	Western Asia
30	Philippines	−0.58	South-Eastern Asia
31	Nepal	−0.63	Southern Asia
32	Uzbekistan	−0.75	Central Asia
33	Azerbaijan	−0.78	Western Asia
34	Laos	−0.98	South-Eastern Asia
35	Pakistan	−1.07	Southern Asia
36	Bangladesh	−1.10	Southern Asia
37	Kyrgyzstan	−1.14	Central Asia
38	Iran	−1.15	Southern Asia
39	Iraq	−1.21	Western Asia
40	Tajikistan	−1.22	Central Asia
41	Cambodia	−1.23	South-Eastern Asia
42	Myanmar	−1.25	South-Eastern Asia
=43	Lebanon	−1.30	Western Asia
=43	Turkmenistan	−1.30	Central Asia
45	Afghanistan	−1.31	Southern Asia
46	North Korea	−1.56	Eastern Asia
47	Yemen	−1.64	Western Asia
48	Syria	−1.70	Western Asia

Territories and other places

Not ranked: dependencies of the states above, places whose status is disputed. Highest first.

Place	Estimate	Status
Hong Kong	+1.57	Territory of China
Macao	+0.57	Territory of China
Palestine	−0.57	Status disputed

Questions

Which country in Asia has the best control of corruption?: Singapore has the best control of corruption in Asia: an estimate of +1.97 (2024). Next come Bhutan (an estimate of +1.47) and Japan (an estimate of +1.36).
Which country in Asia has the worst control of corruption?: Syria, with an estimate of −1.70 (2024).
What is the typical control of corruption of a country in Asia?: The median of the 48 countries in Asia is an estimate of −0.38: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
Where do the figures come from?: How well public power is kept from being used for private gain, petty or grand, as the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators estimate it from surveys and experts: about −2.5 (most corrupt) to +2.5 (least). Source: World Bank, 2024. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.