Most Corrupt Countries In Europe: The world has been confirmed as the most habitable planet in the universe. The world has shown hospitality to mankind by its climate conditions and mineral deposits which man has overtime exploited in other to make the world a better place. As it is known, man does not live in isolation, through procreation, the human race has shown great multiplication and these has in turn shaped the dynamics of human existence.

The world spreads across seven continents ranging from ASIA with about 50 countries, it is the most populated continent with about 4,689,397,900 people, AFRICA with about 54 countries. It is the hottest continent and second largest populated with about 1,387,393,400 people, NORTH AMERICA with about 23 countries and populated with over 597,677,700 people, EUROPE with about 51 countries and about 746,129,000 people.

It is the third largest continent and most developed continent economically, SOUTH AMERICA with about 12 countries populated with over 435,083,400 people, AUSTRALIA with about 14 countries and a population of about 43,398,700. After ANTARCTICA It is the least populated continent after Antarctica, and then lastly, ANTARCTICA seem to be the least populated continent also the coldest in the world, it is mostly covered with ice. Habitation in ANTARCTICA seem to be relatively difficult due to the weather condition.

A continent is a region encompassing several large landmasses. Europe as we have seen is the third largest continent in the world, it is also economically ahead as a result of technological advancement. Europe experienced early civilization and industrial growth. Europe is indeed a strong continent to reckon with in the world. That being said, it is important to reiterate that Europe is populated by people who engage in political, economic and social interaction just like anywhere else in the world.

One of the consequences of these interactions has been the resultant scarcity of resources and indirectly less opportunity for some. The negative implication of increased population resulting in resource deficit is the emergence of social, economic and political vices. One of these vices that has picked our interest is the political vices like corruption.

Corruption is understood to mean a lot of things to many however, it has fundamental resemblance across the world. Corruption is not a new concept however, it is not a positive concept. The concept of corruption is one that is abhorred by citizens and governments alike. Corruption has been a source of global concern and declared a matter of National interest. Corruption has also been the reason for several national and international legislations.

And then one would ask, what is corruption? Corruption can be seen to be the attitudinal response to state of affairs and execution of responsibilities in a way that is not socially recommended and frown at by law. It is the indulgence in activities that are considered fraudulent and exploitative by people in power. They indulge in corrupt practices like bribery in other to take undue advantage. Corruption is a common phenomenon especially in third-world Countries, it has also had it toll on some of the developed countries in the world.

Corruption will be our major topic of discuss in this article with special reference to the European countries. Let us further take a look at some of the countries in Europe that seem to have been struggling with this problem.

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Top 14 Most Corrupt Countries In Europe 2024

1. ALBANIA: Albania is one of the countries in Europe bedeviled by corruption. According to Transparency International reports in 2017 on Corruption Perception Index, the country is ranked 91st place out of 180 countries in the world with score 38.

Corruption is considered one of the major problems affecting the establishment of businesses in the country. With low conviction rate for corrupt practices in the country, it is considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe.

2. AUSTRIA: The country has a viable well-developed institutions and proactive legal system. Over the years, the system has shown great effort in prosecution of those involved in corruption and most cases under investigation successfully get legal judgment.

There are however corruption cases which have taken place in the past years involving high-level public officials, as well as the central government that has been overlooked and has accumulated over the years creating room for more perpetrators to take advantage of the system. According to Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption Perception Index, the country ranks 16th place out of 180 making it a top corrupt country in Europe.

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3. BELGIUM: Notwithstanding the fact that Belgium has a well-developed institutional and  legal framework in place to combat corruption, the country is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe as the 2017 Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index ranked Belgium as being 16th place out of 180 countries alongside Austria.

4. BOSNIA: According to Transparency International, the Bosnia’s political structures seen to be the most affected by corruption as affirmed by a greater number of the citizens.

Placing the country at 83rd place out of 180 countries makes it one of the most corrupt countries in Europe.

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5. BULGARIA: Record shows that Bulgaria has a system that has been considered to be grossly corrupt. With Government officials reportedly engaging in embezzlement scandals, constantly influencing business, there’s also the unfettered violation by the government in matters relating to procurement of public assets as well as misappropriation of public funds.

These has led the Transparency International to label Bulgaria as the most corrupt member of the European Union.

6. CROATIA: Being part of the European Union, Croatia has been considered as one of the top three most corrupt members. The Country has shown great indulgence in corrupt practices that paints it black and portrays it in a negative disposition before it counterparts.

Although Croatia seem to be making efforts by taking some measures to combat corruption in the country, it remains one of the most corrupt countries in Europe.

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7. CZECH REPUBLIC: One most recorded problems in Czech Republic is the corruption in the level of corruption that is widespread across most public sectors.

According to the report gathered by Transparency International on Global Corruption Barometer in 2013, the country seem to be at the top of the table and in 2018, based on the corruption Perception Index, the country ranks 38th place out of 180 countries making it one of the most corrupt countries in Europe.

8. DENMARK: Although corruption level in Denmark is considered relatively below the ones mentioned above and is amongst the lowest in the world, record shows that Denmark is first out of 180 Countries with corruption and according to the record from Transparency International on corruption Perceptions Index for the year 2018, Denmark has also been listed among the top-4 Countries with worrisome corrupt rate since 1995.

Ranging from business enterprises, sectors in the private sector as well as the public sector and government officials has been reported as engaging in some corrupt act or the other especially bribery.

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9. FINLAND: The corruption level in Finland is relatively low compared to its European counterparts. Based on the report released by Transparency International in 2017, Finland is considered the third-most-transparent country in the world and Europe.

Most of the corruption recorded in the country has been attributed to the misconducts of public officials.

10. FRANCE: Having ratified a lot of important international conventions relating to anti-corruption such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

According to Transparency International report for 2020 on Corruption Perception Index France was ranked 23rd out of 180 countries considering that most of the corruption activities are mostly committed by high ranking public officials as well as the defense officers.

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11. NORWAY: According the report by Transparency International, Norway had scored 84 points out of 100 on the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index. This goes to show the overwhelming rise in the level of corruption going on the country. The country over time and most recently has experienced a hike in the level of government mismanagement, economic fraud and political irregularities that plunged the country’s economy to a lower threshold.

The level of human right violation and disregard for human capital development has also experienced some level of increase in the past few years following the laxity on the part of the government to sanitize it’s political system and structures. It suffices to state that; the nation is not entirely deplorable per se however, on the map of corrupt countries, it has risen to a height that seems alarming.

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12. SWITZERLAND: Switzerland is one of the big countries in Europe despite it’s economic scores. It is one of the countries with a robust economy in Europe and that must have lured the most recent development into its fabrics. The rise in political irregularities and economic misappropriation seem to be quite alarming for such a big nation with international reputation.

According to the reports by Transparency International, the country has been pegged at 82 points out of 100 on the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index which is not quite fascinating as one of the giants in Europe economy.

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13. Russia: In Russia, corruption is viewed as a serious issue that affects many facets of daily life, including the economy, business, government, law enforcement, healthcare, and education. The historical paradigm of public government has a strong foundation for the phenomena of corruption, which is linked to a general absence of the rule of law in the nation.

In 2022, Transparency International stated that Russia had a pervasive corruption problem. Russia ranked 137th out of 180 in the world for corruption, receiving a score of 28 out of 100 on Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index.

14. Ukraine: Despite having a corruption ranking of 116th in the world, Transparency International 2022 Corruption Perception Index placed Ukraine as one of the most corrupt nations in Europe with a score of 33 out of 100. In Ukrainian society, corruption is a problem frequently linked to a tense relationship with Russia.

After earning its independence from Russia, Ukraine has had to deal with several politicians, mob leaders, and oligarchs who abused their positions of authority by corrupting the police, political parties, and businesses.

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In conclusion, corruption is an economic vice that need to be checked and eradicated as it hampers effective National and societal growth where ever it finds root. Transparency International as mentioned in this article is a registered German nonprofit association that was founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. It is not a government Institution either. It fights to eradicate corruption and prevent criminal activities across globe and Publishing corruption Barometer and the Corruption Perceptions Index.

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.