Singapore’s corruption-related reports reach new low in 2025, continuing downward trend since 2021

[SINGAPORE] There were 160 corruption-related reports received by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in 2025 – a record low and the continuation of a downward trend over the last five years.

Of the 160 reports, a total of 68 were registered as new cases for investigation after the information received was deemed as pursuable, said the bureau in a news release on Tuesday (Apr 28) as it shared details of its annual corruption statistics report.

There was one case involving the public sector. Last December, a driving tester who was deployed to Bukit Batok Driving Centre was charged for an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly attempting to obtain S$150 from a candidate to help the latter qualify for a driving licence. This case is currently before the court.

Twenty-two cases involved public-sector employees rejecting bribes offered by members of the public.

These employees were officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, the Land Transport Authority, the National Environment Agency, the Singapore Police Force, and an officer from the Certis Cisco Aviation Security who was performing a public function.

Situation remains “under control”

CPIB said that the corruption situation in Singapore “remains firmly under control” and that the number of reports received “remained low”.

The bureau received 249 reports in 2021, and this number has fallen since to 234 (in 2022), 215 (in 2023) and 177 (in 2024). The number of cases registered has also shrunk from 83 (in both 2021 and 2022) to 81 (in 2023) and 75 (in 2024).

CPIB also revealed that 90 people were prosecuted in court in 2025 for offences investigated by the bureau. The vast majority (84) were from the private sector, while the remaining six were public-sector employees.

It noted that construction, manufacturing, transportation and storage were the main industries vulnerable to corruption, based on the cases of private-sector employees prosecuted for corruption-related offences over the past 10 years.

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In its report, the bureau said that it achieved a “clearance rate” of 86 per cent in 2025. This rate is the total number of subjects that CPIB had completed investigations on, out of the total investigated in the entire year.

The clearance rate has remained fairly stable since 2021, hovering between 84 and 87 per cent.

The conviction rate, meanwhile, stood at 91 per cent last year. This was inclusive of cases withdrawn after the accused was charged in court and before any court decision was made.

The latest conviction rate was higher than the 88 per cent recorded in 2024, but lower than that of the previous three years (97 per cent in 2021, 99 per cent in 2022 and 97 per cent in 2023).

Its latest survey to gauge the public’s perception of CPIB and corruption in the Republic showed that 98 per cent of the 1,000 people polled rated the situation in Singapore as “good”, “very good” or “excellent”.

Political will to keep corruption under control, a zero-tolerance culture for corruption, and effective anti-corruption laws were listed as the top three factors contributing to the country’s low corruption rate, said the bureau.

CPIB noted that the Republic continues to be well-regarded internationally for its anti-corruption approach and efforts.

According to Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index, Singapore was the third least-corrupt country out of 182 nations in 2025, behind only Denmark and Finland.

Singapore had a score of 84 out of 100 – the same rank and score as in the previous year – and was the top-ranked country in the Asia-Pacific region.

In a 2025 report on corruption by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, Singapore had the highest score among 16 economies in Asia, the US and Australia.

And in the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2025, Singapore’s ranking went up from third to second out of 143 countries for the absence of corruption in government.

“Swift and decisive enforcement action taken by CPIB underscores Singapore’s zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and ensures a level playing field for businesses operating in Singapore and the wider community,” the bureau said.