Netherlands still in top 10 least corrupt countries, despite worst score yet

The Netherlands remains one of the ten least corrupt countries in the world, but has missed opportunities for improvement in the past year, according to Transparency International (TI). The nonprofit organization has given the Netherlands a score of 78, the same score on its annual ranking as the year before, and the country’s lowest score yet. According to TI, the Netherlands has the potential to become a “model country,” but several “weaknesses must be addressed.”

The Netherlands ranks 8th in the international Corruption Perceptions Index, but TI is critical of developments in the country. According to the organization, the Schoof I Cabinet put pressure on the democratic rule of law by resorting to emergency law and “accelerated the erosion and discrediting of civil society.

TI also criticized the Dutch government for systematically not complying with the Open Government Act (Woo). This was also a problem with the Rutte Cabinets. And the organization raised concerns about the “lack of transparency surrounding lobbies and the stakeholders behind companies.”

Despite this criticism, the Netherlands compares favorably to most other countries on the list. For the upcoming Prime Minister Rob Jetten and his Cabinet, the organization sees an opportunity that the Netherlands can “reverse the global trend.”

This would “give the Netherlands moral authority” and make it more attractive to businesses,” said director Lousewies van der Laan. “A healthy trade climate with fair competition is exactly what companies look for when making investments,” said the former politician, who served in the Dutch parliament for Jetten’s D66 between 2003 and 2006.

The United States dropped to 30th place. According to TI, with Donald Trump in the White House in 2025, the country “changed from a fighter against corruption worldwide to a catalyst for it.” TI is deeply concerned about the use of political pressure to silence the press, the normalization of conflicts of interest and transactional politics, and the undermining of the independent judiciary.

Several developed countries are now worse off in the rankings than they were ten years ago. During this period, the Netherlands lost five points (from 83 to 78), the United Kingdom 11, and Belgium eight. The current level is the lowest ever for the Netherlands.

Denmark tops the list with 89 points, closely followed by Finland, which scored one point lower. South Sudan and Somalia share the bottom spot.