"Rock bottom"

Corruption index: Austria plummets dramatically

(Bild: Joachim Lechner)

The corruption ranking published by Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday paints an alarming picture of Austria. As a result of the many corruption scandals, the Alpine republic has fallen far behind other European countries.

With 67 out of 100 points, Austria is only ranked 25th in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2024. This is the worst result since the CPI was first published. By comparison, our country was ranked 20th last year and 13th three years ago.

"The negative trend is shameful. The result is a loud wake-up call. Austria's reputation as a business location is suffering massively as a result of the corruption scandals," said Bettina Knötzl, CEO of TI, in a press release.

"We see here in black and white what serious voices are saying about the state of Austria. Austria should and could be at the top of the CPI if it only wanted to be. For comparison: Switzerland is in 5th place. It's high time for a rethink!" says Knötzl.

"Historic low as a warning"
The current assessment highlights the urgent need for visible integrity in public administration, according to the TI Chairwoman. She sees the "historic low as a warning" and calls for visible measures to combat corruption. "We are among the worst performers in Europe. The victims of corruption are not the corrupt, but us, the civilian population."

Switzerland and Germany ahead of Austria
Last year, Austria was in 20th place, three years ago in 13th place. Denmark (90 points) was confirmed at the top of the table, followed by Finland (88 points) and Singapore (84 points). Switzerland is in fifth place (81 points), with Germany in 15th place.

Every year since the mid-1990s, the ranking has assessed the perception of the level of corruption in the public sector by experts and business people, based on data from twelve institutions such as the World Economic Forum.

The index, which covers the past three years, records various forms of corruption such as bribery, misappropriation of public funds or nepotism in the public sector in 180 countries and territories.

Some sources also analyze the mechanisms for preventing corruption, the independence of the judiciary, transparency requirements for public officials and access to government information. A score of 0 points stands for comprehensive corruption, 100 means that no corruption is perceived.