Anti-Corruption Stagnation: Ukraine Loses 1 Point in the Corruption Perception Index 2024

Ukraine earned 35 out of 100 points on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2024 and ranks 105th out of 180 countries. 

The information is available on the website of Transparency International Ukraine.

Thus, after a significant increase of three points in 2023, Ukraine lost some of its position in the anti-corruption fight in 2024. The main drivers of change continue to be reforms aimed at European integration and the fulfillment of international obligations.

However, the current results suggest that many reforms are being implemented only formally, or that their implementation is being deliberately stalled. Therefore, some stagnation in 2024 indicates that merely focusing on the programmatic implementation of Ukraine’s commitments is insufficient, and that the execution of the reforms is not as high-quality as intended.

Due to methodological limitations, many events from fall 2024 and early 2025 did not influence the current Index’s results. However, many of these events may intensify the negative trend in how Ukraine’s fight against corruption is perceived, potentially leading to a further deterioration in our CPI score. 

“A one-point drop is not yet a sign of overall decline, but it does mark the onset of stagnation. This is an alarming signal for the authorities, suggesting that we have fallen short in some areas,” notes TI Ukraine’s Executive Director Andrii Borovyk. “Even though a score of 35 is the regional average, we cannot afford to be complacent. Our resilience during the war, the support of our partners, and Ukraine’s European integration process are all at stake. Therefore, the authorities must heed this warning and intensify their genuine anti-corruption efforts.”

In general, the problem of halting progress or even experiencing a decline in the CPI is also common among other countries in the region. Among the EU candidate countries, the following results were recorded: over the year, the scores for Georgia (53 points, 53rd place), Montenegro (46 points, 65th place), and Turkey (34 points, 107th place) remained unchanged. Serbia lost 1 point (35 points, 105th place), while North Macedonia (40 points, 88th place) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (33 points, 114th place) lost 2 points each. Only two candidate countries managed to improve their performance: Moldova’s score increased by 1 point to 43 (76th place), and Albania’s score improved by 5 points to 42 (80th place).

The average score for the European Union this year decreased by 2 points and amounted to 62 points.

Among its neighbors, Ukraine remains ahead of Russia—a terrorist state lost 4 points in 2024 and fell to 154th place with 22 points. Similarly, Belarus, Ukraine’s northern neighbor, also lost 4 points last year and now ranks 114th with 33 points.

As in the previous year, Ukraine’s CPI-2024 results were calculated based on eight studies covering the period from February 2021 through September 2024. In three of these studies, indicators increased, while in five, they decreased. At the same time, in studies that also examine political corruption, Ukraine’s performance has worsened.

During that period, many negative and positive events influenced public perceptions of corruption in our country. Among the factors that positively influenced the result were the resumption of public e-declarations and political party reporting, the adoption of the state anti-corruption program, updates to legislation on defense procurement, improvements in the NABU-SAPO activities, and, more generally, the active work of anti-corruption bodies. Over the past two years, the High Anti-Corruption Court has issued 142 sentences in top-corruption cases, including high-profile judgments in cases involving Judge Mykola Chaus, ex-MPs Andrii Odarchenko, Oleksandr Onyshchenko, and Ruslan Solvar.

The negative trends include, among others, threats to the effective implementation of the SAP, stemming from sabotage by certain corrupt government agencies. Also, over the past two years, there have been attempts to pressure journalists and the public, instances of political interference in various spheres, and scandals involving leaks at NABU and in Ministry of Defense procurement, as well as controversies related to restoration efforts—from the Hrynkevych case to the restoration of Okhmatdyt.

A number of other significant high-profile events that directly affect perceptions of corruption occurred outside this year’s study period. Among these were the corruption scandal at the MSEC, the procurement of substandard mines, the refusal of an international company to participate in the restoration of Hostomel due to demands for bribes, and other scandals involving political influence. However, all these events will be taken into account in subsequent studies in one way or another.

To overcome stagnation and bolster anti-corruption progress, Ukraine should continue implementing its ongoing reforms and fully meet its international commitments. In general, we can identify three key international documents that define the trajectory for Ukraine’s future development in various sectors, including anti-corruption efforts:

• Ukraine Facility Plan;
• European Commission’s EU Enlargement Report;
• the IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

Ukraine’s further European integration, sustainability, and development, including our fight against corruption, depends on the thorough and genuine implementation of the recommendations outlined in these documents. 

For reference

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is a ranking calculated by the global organization Transparency International since 1995. The organization does not conduct its own surveys. The Index is calculated based on 13 studies of reputable international institutions and think tanks.

The key indicator of the Index is the score, not the rank. The minimum score (0 points) means that corruption actually replaces the government, while the maximum (100 points) indicates that corruption is almost absent in society. The index assesses corruption only in the public sector.

CPI incorporates the perspectives of business representatives, investors, market researchers, and others, reflecting the private sector’s view of corruption in the public sector.

It is important to keep in mind that CPI measures perception of corruption, not the actual level of corruption. A higher score for one country compared to another does not necessarily mean that the former has less actual corruption—it simply indicates that it is perceived as less corrupt.

The CPI methodology has been approved by the European Commission for its robust statistical approach.

CPI assesses experts’ perceptions of public sector corruption by examining factors such as bribery, embezzlement of public funds, nepotism in public service, state capture, the government’s ability to implement integrity mechanisms, the effective prosecution of corrupt officials, excessive bureaucracy, and the adequacy of laws on financial disclosure, conflict of interest prevention, and access to information, as well as the protection of whistleblowers, journalists, and investigators.