Global Corruption Index 2021: Georgia ranks ahead of nine EU, NATO states

Swiss risk management company Global Risk Profile (GRP) has released the Global Corruption Index 2021, with Georgia ranking 41st, following 50th place last year, among 196 countries, and ahead of nine EU and NATO member states.

On the index, which measures corruption risk levels in the countries, Georgia received a score of 33.26 on a 0-100 scale, while the risk of corruption in the country was evaluated as ‘low’.

Georgia ranked above the EU and/or NATO member states of Slovakia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, and Turkey.

The head of the Administration of the Government of Georgia Ilia Darchiashvili said that Georgia ranking ahead of the EU and NATO member states on the list is an 'important impetus' to continue implementing anti-corruption reforms in the country.

For one's part, that [continual implementation of anti-corruption reforms] will assist Georgia on its way to Euro-Atlantic integration, Darchiashvili added.

The top three countries in the list with ‘very low’ corruption risk levels are Finland, Norway, and New Zealand, while North Korea, Syria, and Libya are ranked at the bottom, with ‘very high’ risks.

The index, composed of two sub-indexes related to corruption and white collar crimes, relies on 43 variables based on datasets borrowed from internationally recognized entities, such as the UN, World Bank, and Transparency International.