Papua New Guinea’s democracy is at risk, as the country is rated among the top 30 corrupt nations in the world, as it prepares for the 2027 General Election, according to Transparency International.
Transparency International Papua New Guinea (TIPNG) Tuesday released the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) which rated the country at 26 out of 100 – a drop of four points from 2024.
The CPI ranks 182 countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, with the results given on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
The CPI considers cases of bribery, diversion of public funds, nepotism, and the effectiveness of anti-corruption laws and legal protection for whistleblowers, journalists and investigators, when ranking countries.
TIPNG partnerships and policy adviser Yuambari Haihuie said the country’s score was 17 points lower than the global average of 42, and 19 points lower than the Asia Pacific average of 45.
“These are concerning statistics as it shows that we are falling back,” he said.
“The trend shows the change in the CPI score before an election year, and this trend can show what we can expect in 2027.
“The link between corruption and democracy is evident.”
Haihuie said the score indicated that much must be done to improve the country’s ranking, such as:
*Government must ensure the Electoral Commission is fully funded to independently fulfill its mandate;
*Inter- department elections Committee must regularly convene to facilitate inter-agency coordination;
*Parliament must adopt the findings of the Special Parliamentary Committee Report on General Election 2022 to address past systemic failure; and,
*Law enforcement agencies, including the Independent Commission Against Corruption, National Coordinating Committee, and police, must coordinate their plans to address election offences, including corruption.
TIPNG chief executive officer Arianne Kassman said: “The drop in PNG’s 2025 CPI score is not an isolated result; it demonstrates a multi-year trend linked with our electoral cycle.
“PNG’s scores show a pattern of slight improvement over five years, followed by a sharp decline during election year-a cycle that must be broken to ensure a fair 2027 election. What we do in 2026 will determine the integrity of our democracy in 2027, said Kassman.
