Open Budget Survey: Georgia ranked 1st for budget transparency

The Ministry of Finance of Georgia on Thursday said results of “consistent and well-planned” reforms in domestic public finance management over the past years had been “once again confirmed” by the International Budget Partnership ’s 2023 Open Budget Survey, which ranked Georgia first among 125 countries in budget transparency.

The body added the country received a score of 87 out of 100 in the measurement, while it was also ranked fifth for budget oversight and public participation with 83 and 44 points respectively.

The Ministry said results marked a “significant progress” in budget oversight compared to the 2021 study, with the rating increasing from 74 to 83 points, moving Georgia from 21st to fifth place.

Georgia has made impressive strides in achieving budget transparency. Since 2012, the country has transitioned from having limited budget transparency to being considered a fully transparent country by 2017”, the body added.

The survey was published on Wednesday by the organisation that conducts transparency assessments every two years in collaboration with the non-governmental sector, focusing on budget transparency, public participation and budget oversight.

The OBS was first published in 2006, with Georgia listed 30th with 34 points and among the least transparent countries.