Greece’s position in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the year 2020, published on 28.01.2021 by NGO Transparency International, has improved. Greece is ranked 59th out of 180 countries with a score of 50 points, an increase of 2 points compared to the previous year, when it scored 48 points and ranked 60th out of 180 countries.
The index captures the level of corruption perception in 180 countries, using a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 corresponds to countries with a high level of corruption perception and 100 to countries with a low level of corruption perception. Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Singapore and Sweden are at the top of the Index, while countries such as South Sudan, Somalia, Syria and Venezuela, among others, performed the lowest scores.
Greece’s improved position comes at a time when there is an international trend of increasing corruption, partly due to the need for emergency measures to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. This unprecedented situation raised significant challenges for the sectors directly related to pandemic management, such as the procurement of services and goods, the provision of health and social services, and programmes to stimulate employment and economic recovery.