Austria is making baby steps in the right direction, but the country still has a long way to go when it comes to tackling corruption. According to the latest rankings from Transparency International, the Alpine nation climbed a few notches this year but experts say there’s no reason to break out the champagne just yet.
The country now sits at 21st place out of 182 nations, scoring 69 out of 100 points. It’s better than last year, sure, when Austria stumbled to a disappointing 67 points and 25th place, its worst showing in recent memory. But here’s the catch: since 2019, Austria has dropped a whopping nine positions overall, earning it a spot in the not-so-flattering category of global “decliners.”
Bettina Knötzl, who chairs Transparency International Austria, isn’t sugarcoating things. “Yes, it’s a positive signal,” she admits, “but corruption is still a structural problem here. It’s holding back our economy and eating away at people’s trust in government institutions.”
So what’s behind the slight uptick? Knötzl credits a few important reforms. The big one? Austria finally ditched its notorious official secrecy laws and introduced real freedom of information legislation, something advocates have been pushing for years. The government has also gotten more serious about actually prosecuting corruption cases, and there’s been a genuine push to create an independent prosecutorial authority that politicians can’t meddle with.
Meanwhile, Denmark continues its reign as the world’s cleanest country, topping the charts for the eighth year running with 89 points. The Scandinavian powerhouse is joined in the top five by Finland, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Norway, all scoring above 80. Europe dominates the top ten, with Sweden, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Germany also making the cut.
Within the European Union, Austria lands in ninth place respectable, but hardly spectacular. Hungary brings up the rear among EU members with just 40 points, while Somalia and South Sudan share the dubious honor of dead last globally.
The message is clear: Austria is moving forward, but the fight against corruption is far from over.
