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Corruption measures a country's bureaucratic morality throughout the ranks. A country with high corruption suffers widely from embezzlement and loss of the leader's authority, while a country with no corruption is free to prosper. Unlike inflation, corruption does not directly affect monetary costs, instead affecting other areas of the state (though it may indirectly affect income due to raising the local autonomy floor of provinces).
Effects of 100 corruption:[1]
 |
−25% |
Foreign spy detection
|
 |
−50% |
Spy network construction
|
 |
+100% |
All power costs
|
 |
50% |
Minimum autonomy
|
 |
−20% |
National unrest
|
 |
−1% |
Mandate growth modifier
|
 |
+10% |
Brahmins loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+10% |
Clergy loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+10% |
Marathas loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+10% |
Nobility loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+10% |
Burghers loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+10% |
Vaishyas loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+10% |
Cossacks loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+10% |
Tribes loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+10% |
Dhimmi loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+10% |
Jains loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+10% |
Rajputs loyalty equilibrium
|
 |
+0.025 |
Monthly heir claim increase
|
Eliminating corruption enables beneficial Corruption events, while increasing corruption enables increasingly bad events. Corruption also increases the amount of monarch power which can be stored at the same level as the respective power cost increase.
+0.005 per year for every point of Overextension, +0.5 per year at 100% overextension.
+0.001 per year for every point of religious unity below 100%, +0.1 per year at 0% religious unity.
+0.5 max per year for unbalanced research. Applies only with tech level difference of 3 and above. 
+0.1 per year for not having an active debate in Parliament.
+0.002 per year for every point of Meritocracy below 50, +0.1 per year at 0 meritocracy (only for the emperor of china and only with
Mandate of Heaven).
+2 immediately by “Debasing Currency” (only with
Rights of Man).
+0.5 immediately for
The Papal State if they appoint a cardinal in their own land[2] (only with
Emperor).
+1 max per
Banners regiment raised, divided by country's force limit (only with
Mandate of Heaven).
−0.02 per point of stability per year
Maximum of −1 per year for “rooting out corruption”, which is controlled with a maintenance slider on the economy tab. Reducing corruption costs 0.05
ducats per month per total effective development (which is modified by autonomy) for maximum effect. (This can be lowered if the player chooses, although reducing expenditure will decrease the corruption reduction proportionally.)
−0.05 per year for being ahead of time in diplomatic technology.
−0.05 per year for being ahead of time in administrative technology.
−0.05 per year as
Zoroastrian nation with the active ritual 'Yasna' (only with
Rights of Man).
−0.50 per year as
Confucian nation with 100 harmony (only with
Mandate of Heaven).
−2.00 With using Islamic nation’s "Enforce Faithful Adherence" while having 75 or more
piety.
- Various ideas and policies give a yearly corruption reduction:
|
Traditions
|
Ideas
|
Bonuses
|
Policies
|
−0.20
|
—
|
- Espionage idea 5: Vetting
|
—
|
—
|
−0.10
|
—
|
- Ajami idea 6: Reform the Diwan
- Anhalt idea 6: The Duke and the Schultheiss
- Russian idea 5: Abolish the Mestnichestvo
- Sindhi idea 5: End Judicial Corruption
- Timurid idea 7: Reform the Diwan
|
—
|
- Defensive-Administrative: The Spy Discovery Act
- Espionage-Administrative: The Royal Commission Act
- Espionage-Defensive: The Privy Council Establishment Act
|
−0.05
|
—
|
- Venetian idea 4: Found the State Inquisition
|
—
|
—
|
- ↑ See in /Europa Universalis IV/common/static_modifiers/00_static_modifiers.txt (Static modifiers#Corruption).
- ↑ See in /Europa Universalis IV/common/defines.lua: APPOINT_CARDINAL_CORRUPTION = 0.5, -- Corruption gained by the Papal State when appointing cardinals in its own land