Many Countries Fail to Counter Corruption Despite Promises, Antigraft Group Says

Transparency International’s survey attempts to measure the perceived level of corruption within countries. This year, the group said that as many as 131 countries out of the 180 scored failed to make any meaningful progress on corruption over the last decade, with the reputation of over two dozen reaching an all-time low.

The group first began publishing the index in 1995. This year’s report is the first to include scores for each country over a 10-year period, Transparency International said. The scores range from 0, being the most corrupt, to 100.

The Biden administration last year asked a range of executive-branch departments and agencies to identify ways they could strengthen their fight against corruption.

Officials have pointed to the continuing implementation of a landmark anti-money-laundering reform bill, which lawmakers hope will help stop bad actors from using anonymous shell companies for nefarious purposes. They have also promised to step up enforcement of antiforeign bribery laws in countries where corruption is perceived to be rampant.

Transparency International’s findings suggest the U.S. may have a steep hill to climb in countering perceived levels of corruption, which have stagnated world-wide, according to the group.

The administration’s efforts so far have done little to bolster the U.S.’s own reputation. The country’s score remained level at 67 this year, after dropping several times during the Trump administration. The score remains the lowest the country has received since 2012, when Transparency International revamped its methodology.

The Covid-19 pandemic has also been a source of concern for Transparency International, with the group identifying corruption as a contributing factor to the public health crisis caused by the virus.

Many countries have used the pandemic as an excuse to roll back basic freedoms, the group said in this year’s report.

Write to Dylan Tokar at [email protected]