Transparency International India CPI 2025
Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 ranked India 89th of 180 countries with a score of 39/100 — broadly stable from 85/100 in 2024. The accompanying India report has data points that matter for RTI users.
Headline findings
- Citizen-RTI use continues to grow, especially in Tier-2 cities.
- Police, land-revenue and municipal services remain the top “perceived corruption” departments.
- Information Commission backlogs flagged as a structural blocker.
- DPDP §44(3) flagged as a regression for accountability journalism.
- Whistle-blower protection still weak; many RTI activists report intimidation.
What citizens can do
- File RTI for institutional records — appointments, transfers, audits — these are the index's data inputs.
- Bundle RTI with Lokpal/Lokayukta complaints for serious cases.
- Use online portals that create unambiguous timestamps and reduce manipulation.
- Report to TI India when you uncover patterns through RTI.
Sources
- Transparency International CPI 2025.
- TI India National Report 2025-26.
Last reviewed: 25 April 2026.
Why this matters for citizens
This blog post is part of RTI Wiki's editorial coverage of India's information-rights ecosystem under the Right to Information Act, 2005. We track court rulings, policy changes, RTI activist work, and citizen success stories monthly. Subscribe to the monthly newsletter for a curated digest.
Citizen action steps
- File a free RTI on a related issue using the AI RTI Drafter.
- Track deadlines with the Timeline Tracker (Day 30 + Day 60 alerts).
- If your reply is evasive, paste it into the PIO Reply Checker.
- For voice input in 11 Indian languages, use AwaazRTI.
Citations and sources
- Right to Information Act, 2005 — full text
- CPIO Supreme Court v. Subhash Chandra Agarwal (2020) 5 SCC 481 — Constitution Bench
- Anjali Bhardwaj v. UoI (2019) 9 SCC 199 — IC accountability
- DPDP Act 2023 + DPDP Rules 2025 (in force 14 Nov 2025)
