Governance Competition: The Winners in 2025

The Winners

The world is increasingly on edge. Social unrest and economic pressures have prompted profound policy shifts, incited protests, deepened political divides, and eroded trust in political and economic institutions.¹

Against this backdrop of stormy developments and crisis after crisis, we ask: who is holding steady—or even pulling ahead—in the most critical competition of our time?

The Lions Roar

Legend has it that a 13^th century prince from a powerful kingdom in maritime Southeast Asia set foot on a small island at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. There, he spotted a creature said to be a lion. Taking this as an auspicious sign, he named the island “Singapura” or “Lion City”, a name that would endure and evolve into modern-day Singapore. Singapore once again tops the CGGI in 2025— its fourth time in pole position since the Index was launched in 2021. The gap between Singapore and its closest competitor has only grown, as the country continues to improve on the CGGI, from year to year.

Denmark and Norway, which also have the lion boldly emblazoned on their coat of arms, defend their second and third place positions from 2024 this year. Denmark, in particular, has shown remarkable progress in a crowded field near the top of the list: over the past five years it has ascended steadily to 2^nd in 2025 from 6^th in 2021, improving its scores in six out of seven CGGI pillars.

CGGI Scores for the Top Three Countries

Rounding up the Top 20

European countries once again dominate the top rankings this year, taking 13 out of the top 20 spots in CGGI 2025. Northern Europe shines particularly bright, with Finland and Sweden rounding up the top five.

Meanwhile, countries from the Asia Pacific region are also making their mark. In addition to Singapore, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea have all remained in the top 20.

In a striking development, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has broken into the top ten, climbing from 14^th place in 2024 to 9^th in 2025. As the only Middle Eastern country in the top 20, the UAE’s evolution from 2021 to 2025 has been both broad-based and profound. The UAE has improved in six of its seven pillars, with Financial Stewardship taking centre stage.

Waiting in the Wings: U.S.

Ranked 23^rd this year, the U.S. is one of two G7 countries not ranked within the top 20 this year, declining from 21^st in CGGI 2024. While the country performs well in most areas, it faces notable challenges in the Financial Stewardship pillar, where scores were dragged down by weaknesses in the Spending Efficiency and Country Budget Surplus indicators. Additionally, the country’s performance in the Helping People Rise pillar―which looks at a government’s ability to deliver outcomes that are important to citizens, such as Personal Safety, Income Distribution, and Non‑Discrimination―lags behind its peers.

In contrast, Lithuania, just outside the top 20, warrants special mention for its steady progress on the CGGI. The country has advanced from 30^th in 2021 to 25^th in 2025, recording consistent improvements (in score) each year.

Good Governance is Not Built in a Day

The top 20 has shown remarkable stability across the past five years. Of the countries on the list, 18 have stayed within the top 20 between 2021 and 2025, even if their relative positions have shifted. This stability is not surprising, since the CGGI focuses on capabilities that take time to build. Good government is never a matter of chance: it results from a long, painstaking process of architecting institutions, strengthening systems, developing skills, and, perhaps most crucially, cultivating a culture of integrity and excellence.

This is why it is more important than ever to begin the work of building high‑performance government, today.

Endnotes

1. Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED). (2024). ACLED Conflict Index Results: July 2024. https://acleddata.com/conflict-index/index-july-2024/