Skopje, 30 January 2024 (MIA) - North Macedonia is up nine places and two index points in the latest Transparency International report, assessing the country's progress in the fight against corruption. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023, North Macedonia ranks 76th with a score of 42 points, whereas in 2022 it ranked 85th with a score of 40 points. 

Of the countries in the region, Croatia has the best score of 50 index points in the 57th spot. Bosnia and Herzegovina has the lowest ranking in the 108th spot, though up one index point. Greece sees a drop of three places and is ranked 59th, scoring 49 points. Montenegro is up one point and leads with a score of 46 points, putting it in 63rd place. Albania is up one place and is ranked 98th with a score of 37 points. Bulgaria is up two places in the 67th spot, scoring 45 points. Kosovo is in 83rd place with 41 points, and Serbia scored the same as last year, 36, but dropped in rank to 104th.

Out of 180 countries, on a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean, North Macedonia has the same score as Bahrain, China, Cuba, Hungary, Moldova and Trinidad and Tobago. 

Denmark heads the ranking for the sixth year in a row, with a score of 90. Finland and New Zealand follow closely with scores of 87 and 85. Somalia is at the bottom of the index with a score of 11, followed by Venezuela, Syria and South Sudan with a score of 13. 

The CPI 2023 report notes that in September 2023, North Macedonia's parliament significantly undermined its judiciary. In a non-transparent and fast-tracked procedure, MPs amended the criminal code to reduce prison sentences and shorten the statute of limitations for the abuse of official positions. This, reads the report, will cause roughly 200 suspected corruption cases to be dismissed, many of which involve former high-level officials. 

The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows that corruption is thriving across the world.

Over two-thirds of countries score below 50 out of 100, which strongly indicates that they have serious corruption problems. The global average is stuck at only 43, while the vast majority of countries have made no progress or declined in the last decade. What is more, 23 countries fell to their lowest scores to date this year.

North Macedonia is in the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia with 19 other countries whose average score is 35. Top scorers include Montenegro - 46 points, Armenia - 47 points and Georgia - 53 points. Bottom scorers include Turkmenistan - 18 points, Tajikistan - 20 points and Azerbaijan - 23 points.  

CPI 2023 paints a troubling picture of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, an area struggling with dysfunctional rule of law, rising authoritarianism and systemic corruption. The average score of 35 out of 100 makes it the second lowest-scoring region in the world.