Countries in North America 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). 23 countries in North America, highest first. World Bank, 2025

Map: Control of corruption — North America
Highest
+1.59
Canada
Median country
+0.01
half above, half below
Lowest
−1.54
Haiti
Countries in North America by control of corruption, World Bank, 2025
#CountryEstimateRegion
1Canada+1.59Northern America
2Barbados+1.23Caribbean
3Bahamas+1.04Caribbean
4United States+0.87Northern America
5Saint Vincent and the Grenadines+0.72Caribbean
6Costa Rica+0.69Central America
7Antigua and Barbuda+0.59Caribbean
8Dominica+0.54Caribbean
9Grenada+0.50Caribbean
10Saint Lucia+0.49Caribbean
11Saint Kitts and Nevis+0.32Caribbean
12Dominican Republic+0.01Caribbean
13Jamaica−0.09Caribbean
14Belize−0.14Central America
15Trinidad and Tobago−0.34Caribbean
16El Salvador−0.55Central America
17Panama−0.56Central America
18Cuba−0.73Caribbean
19Guatemala−0.92Central America
20Mexico−0.94Central America
21Honduras−1.25Central America
22Nicaragua−1.38Central America
23Haiti−1.54Caribbean

Territories and other places

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

PlaceEstimateStatus
Greenland+1.48Territory of Denmark
Bermuda+1.18Territory of United Kingdom
Aruba+0.87Territory of Netherlands
Cayman Islands+0.60Territory of United Kingdom
Puerto Rico+0.54Territory of United States of America
US Virgin Islands−0.07Territory of United States of America

Questions

Which country in North America has the best control of corruption?
Canada has the best control of corruption in North America: an estimate of +1.59 (2025). Next come Barbados (an estimate of +1.23) and the Bahamas (an estimate of +1.04).
Which country in North America has the worst control of corruption?
Haiti, with an estimate of −1.54 (2025).
What is the typical control of corruption of a country in North America?
The median of the 23 countries in North America is an estimate of +0.01: 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, 2025. 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.