In brief
On 10 February 2026, Transparency International published the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). In this edition, Mexico scored 27 out of 100 (100 being the best score), one point higher than in the previous assessment. The average score for the Americas region is 42, which confirms the country's lagging performance compared to its peers. Mexico ranked 141 out of 182 countries and territories evaluated, compared to 140 out of 180 last year, placing it just below Pakistan, Iraq, and Bolivia, and slightly above Cameroon and Guatemala.
Published since 1995, the CPI is a global benchmark that assesses perceived levels of corruption in the public sector. Its scores are not based on surveys of the general population, but rather on the opinion of organizations such as the World Bank, risk assessment firms, expert groups, etc.
In detail
In the 2025 edition of the CPI, Mexico received a score of 27 out of 100, reflecting a persistent perception of significant corruption in the public sector. With this result, the country ranked 141 out of 182 globally, placing it among the lowest in the Index and below the regional average of 42 points.
Although the score represents a marginal improvement compared to the previous year, various reports agree that corruption remains linked to structural factors such as institutional weakness, the infiltration of organized crime into politics, the lack of effective accountability mechanisms, and absence of transparency.
Within the group of countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Mexico continues to rank last in the CPI, underscoring persistent challenges in governance, public integrity, and the fight against illicit practices.
The CPI considerations that influenced Mexico's 2025 score included:
- Weakening of democratic checks and balances.
- An increase and persistence of the crime of extortion.
- Links between corruption and organized crime, that facilitate political infiltration and undermine accountability.
- Deterioration of public services and public security.
- The impact of fuel tax evasion ("huachicol fiscal").
The one-point improvement compared to 2024 does not alter the underlying assessment: Mexico remains in the lower tier of the CPI and below the regional average, indicating a weak public integrity environment in comparative terms among the countries evaluated.
It will be necessary for the government and Mexican institutions to place the fight against corruption at the center of the public agenda and to implement structural measures—such as effective law enforcement, greater transparency in public procurement, and the strengthening of an independent judiciary, among others, to reduce the violence generated by corruption and organized crime.