No progress on corruption: Armenia drops in 2025 Transparency International ranking

(Horizon Weekly) – Armenia has slipped slightly in the latest global corruption rankings published by Transparency International, with the influential watchdog once again reporting stagnation in the country’s anti-corruption drive.

In its 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the Berlin-based organization placed Armenia 65th among 182 countries and territories assessed worldwide. The country had ranked 63rd in last year’s index. Armenia shares its current position with Kuwait, Montenegro, Namibia and Senegal.

Armenia’s CPI score, calculated on a scale from zero to 100, also declined marginally, falling from 47 to 46 over the past year. Under a three-year anti-corruption strategy adopted in 2019, the Armenian government had set a target of raising that score to 55.

While the report did not provide a detailed explanation for the downgrade, it emphasized the importance of reinforcing the independence and efficiency of the judiciary and prosecutorial bodies, as well as ensuring consistent implementation of previously adopted reforms. Similar conclusions were reached in the organization’s two prior assessments, which likewise noted a lack of measurable progress.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has repeatedly argued that the “systemic corruption” that characterized earlier governments has been dismantled since his administration took office in 2018. Nevertheless, Armenian media outlets have increasingly published allegations suggesting that individuals close to the government have leveraged their positions for personal or familial gain.

Public criticism has also intensified over the awarding of substantial bonuses to high-ranking officials, including the prime minister. Pashinyan has defended the payments, stating that higher compensation reduces incentives for corrupt behaviour. However, Varuzhan Hoktanian, a long-time anti-corruption advocate associated with Transparency International’s Armenian partner organization, has characterized the bonus system as a form of “political corruption.”

In 2023, the prime minister publicly encouraged senior officials to take legal action against media organizations that, in his view, make unfounded accusations of illicit enrichment. Around the same time, the YouTube channel of the Yerevan-based newspaper Aravot was reportedly hacked just before it was set to release an investigative video on high-value property acquisitions by prominent government officials and lawmakers aligned with the ruling party.

The latest CPI findings are likely to renew debate within Armenia over the pace and depth of institutional reforms, particularly as the government continues to frame anti-corruption efforts as a central pillar of its political mandate.