Cyprus hit a historic low in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2022, with a score of 52 out of 100.
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
The Western Europe and EU average is 66. Denmark (90) tops the region and the world, with Finland (87) and Norway (84) rounding out the top.
Cyprus is tied with Greece for 51st place. The two countries only fare better than Malta (51), Croatia (50), Romania (46), Bulgaria (43) and Hungary (42) which remain the worst performers in the region.
Cyprus’ 2021 score was 53, dropping from 57 in 2020. In 2019, Cyprus ranked 41, with a score of 58.
After the publication of the index, Cyprus Integrity Forum issued an announcement urging stakeholders and the State to take action to combat corruption. “The impact of this indicator, not only on the reputation of our island, but also on the economy of our country is critically important, since it affects the level of investments injection from abroad as well as tourism. It is imperative to shift from words to preemptive action, to effective accountability and to exemplary punishment,” the announcement wrote.
Corruption perception worsens in most EU countries
Since 2017, 96 per cent of countries in the region have either declined or made little to no significant progress, Transparency International notes.
During this time period, Luxembourg (77), the United Kingdom (73) and Austria (71) have significantly declined on the CPI. Only Ireland (77) has significantly improved.
“Corruption has made our world a more dangerous place. As governments have collectively failed to make progress against it, they fuel the current rise in violence and conflict – and endanger people everywhere. The only way out is for states to do the hard work, rooting out corruption at all levels to ensure governments work for all people, not just an elite few,” said Delia Ferreira Rubio, Chair of Transparency International.
Daniel Eriksson, Chief Executive Officer of Transparency International noted that governments “must open up space to include the public in decision-making – from activists and business owners to marginalised communities and young people. In democratic societies, the people can raise their voices to help root out corruption and demand a safer world for us all.”
