Luxembourg among the least corrupt countries in the world

30 September 2024

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For 2023, Luxembourg ranked as the 9th least corrupt country in the world.

The Corruption Perceptions Index is published by the NGO Transparency International.

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks 180 countries and territories around the world by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. The analysis is based on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives. It uses a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

With a score of 90, Denmark took first place while Luxembourg’s score of 78 placed it in 9th alongside Germany which had the same score. More specifically, Luxembourg gained one point (78 points in 2023 vs. 77 points in 2022).

Overall, the average score for Europe was 64, with neighbouring Belgium and France scoring 73 and 71 respectively.

Research in the area of corruption and transparency

Research on corruption and transparency is crucial for understanding how these forces influence the development of political systems and institutions. By investigating various political, social, and economic contexts, this research seeks to uncover the root causes, patterns, and impacts of corruption, while assessing how transparency initiatives can promote accountability, integrity, and public trust across sectors.

In Luxembourg, several researchers are actively contributing to this field, offering valuable insights that support policymakers, civil society, and international organisations in their efforts to combat corruption and improve governance structures.

SciLux podcast – Anna-Lena Högenauer, associate professor in Political Science

In conversation with our young researchers: Anđela Mićanović

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A major challenge around the world

Transparency International points out that a low levels of corruption have a generally positive impact on society, having stated: “Countries that perform well on the index invest more in health care, are better able to provide universal health coverage and are less likely to violate democratic norms and institutions or the rule of law”.

However, the fight against corruption remains a major challenge. More than two-thirds of the countries covered scored below 50, and 23 countries fell to their lowest scores to date this year.

While Western Europe and the European Union remains the highest scoring region, its regional average score dropped to 64 this year, due to the erosion of ‘checks and balances’.

The report states: “The 2023 CPI reveals that anticorruption efforts have stagnated or declined in more than three-quarters of the countries in the region. Among the 31 countries assessed, only six have improved their score, while eight have declined since 2012 .Several high-ranking democracies, including Sweden (82), Netherlands (79), Iceland (72) and the United Kingdom (71), have recorded their lowest ever scores.”

In order to reduce corruption Transparency International recommends strengthening oversight institutions, ensuring open and transparent contracting, defending democracy and publishing relevant data.