Philippines Ranks 65th in Impunity Index, Lagging Behind ASEAN Neighbors

The Philippines has been ranked 65th out of 174 countries in terms of impunity, an index that measures the extent of unchecked abuses of power, lagging behind several of its neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). According to the latest edition of the Atlas of Impunity released last Wednesday, the Philippines recorded an impunity score of 44.86, placing it in the upper half of the global ranking. A lower score indicates a worse assessment of a country's impunity. Among ASEAN nations, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia fared better than the Philippines in the 2025 Atlas of Impunity. Conversely, Myanmar (4th), Cambodia (33rd), and Lao PDR (57th) performed worse. Brunei Darussalam was not ranked in the latest assessment. The study defines impunity as "the exercise of power without accountability, which, in its starkest form, amounts to the commission of crimes without punishment." Examining the Philippines' performance across five dimensions, the country ranked as follows: unaccountable governance (74th), economic exploitation (90th), environmental degradation (90th), conflict and violence (43rd), and abuse of human rights (41st). The Atlas was spearheaded by David Miliband and the Eurasia Group's Geostrategy team, with financial support from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. It partnered with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which provided inputs to its global advisory board of experts on governance and human rights. Global trends highlighted in the study include three important trends for 2025. In countries with the highest impunity, conflict often drives serious lapses in accountability and frequent grave human rights abuses. The report identifies "unaccountable governance" as the most significant global driver of impunity, with declining press freedom being its clearest expression. Furthermore, the study suggests that a growing disregard for accountability norms in powerful states, particularly the US, is likely to continue fueling impunity in the coming years.