Corruption remains a serious problem for citizens of the European Union, both in their daily lives and in their business activities. The level of corruption may vary from one EU country to another, but the phenomenon as such has a negative impact on the Community as a whole, deterring investment and affecting public finances.
The international NGO Transparency International has published a new Corruption Perceptions Index for the public sector for 2024.
Cyprus was ranked 46th out of 180 countries.
It should be noted that the island state has improved its performance by three positions compared to 2023. Nevertheless, it remains one of the countries where corruption is perceived to be at an alarming level. According to the compilers of the ranking, this is a consequence of the inability to effectively investigate cases of corruption. Recall that in 2012 the Republic of Cyprus was ranked 29th out of 174 possible countries. Since then, its performance has steadily deteriorated.
The 2024 Index is based on a survey of experts and businessmen from 180 countries. Countries were ranked on a scale of zero to 100, with 0 representing an extremely high level of corruption and 100 an extremely low level. Cyprus, by the way, scored 56 in 2024.
It is worth noting that the global average CPI 2024 score remained at 43, indicating no significant progress. More than two-thirds of countries scored below 50, confirming systemic problems with transparency and the rule of law.
Leading the 2024 rankings were: Denmark (90 points), which has remained in first place since 2018, Finland (88 points) and Singapore (84 points), which have been in the top three cleanest countries for many years. At the bottom of the list were: South Sudan (8 points), Somalia (9 points), Venezuela (10 points), Syria (12 points), Libya (13 points).
Countries which have improved their position:
- Armenia (47 points, +1)
- Moldova (43 points, +3)
- Ukraine (35 points, +3)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (35 points, +1)
- Uzbekistan (33 points, +2)
Countries that have worsened in terms of corruption:
- Belarus (33 points, -14 in four years)
- Kyrgyzstan (25 points, -3)
- Turkey (34 points, -2)
- Tajikistan (20 points, -4)
Countries whose positions have not changed
- Azerbaijan (22 points)
- Serbia (35 points)
- Kazakhstan (40 points)