Power, restraint and trust: What Denmark PM's leadership reveals about anti-graft fight

Denmark once again topped the list of the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2025, which was published today (10 February) by Transparency International. 

This result solidified Denmark as the world standard in public sector transparency. It also proved how Mette Frederiksen exercised power that left little room for corruption. 

Frederiksen, now 48, assumed office in June 2019 as Denmark's youngest-ever prime minister and led a minority government with challenges like the pandemic, energy shock, and Europe's most unstable security environment in decades. People thought she was a left-wing idealist, but she turned out to be one of Europe's most practical leaders with a strong grip on state power and the courage to take on expansive welfare politics. 

And the outcome of that strength and courage was visible. Denmark also ranked top in the Legatum Institute's Prosperity Index 2023, which measures not just income but also freedom, safety, education, and health. Denmark's inflation stood at 1.9% in December 2024, and per adult national income became €57,478 in 2023. Income inequality in the country became the world's lowest, with a Gini Index of 28.3, according to the World Bank.

Her pragmatism mattered for integrity. Since 2019, Frederiksen ruled the country with a centralised style the critics often regarded as severe; yet that same style proved to establish clear chains of responsibility, disciplined ministries, and strong rules, all conditions that reduce corruption and eliminate misuse of power.  

Her leadership earned recognition beyond Europe. Forbes has been ranking her as one of the world's most powerful women since 2020, citing her strong political leadership, crisis handling, and increasing international profile. The ranking placed her among global decision-makers shaping geopolitics, security, and social policy at a moment of heightened uncertainty.

Her commitment to national sovereignty and welfare was even more evident when Frederiksen publicly rejected then US President Donald Trump's suggestion to buy Greenland in 2019, a semi-autonomous territory within the Danish kingdom. She called the idea "absurd," asserting Denmark's sovereignty with unusual directness – a moment that cemented her reputation as a leader willing to confront power without theatrics.

Denmark's eighth consecutive CPI crown ultimately tells a larger story than rankings alone. It reflects a political culture in which authority is exercised openly, decisions are owned, and institutional boundaries are respected – even when policies are unpopular or politically risky. Under Frederiksen's leadership, power has not been diluted in the name of consensus nor personalised for expediency but channelled through clear rules and accountability.

In an era when many democracies struggle with blurred lines between politics and administration, Denmark's experience suggests that transparency is not the product of softness but of discipline. Frederiksen's tenure shows that integrity can endure when leadership accepts both the responsibility and the consequences that come with power.