By Emilio Luciano Cricchio
Transparency International, a global anti-corruption organization, has released its 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index. The report rates the perceived state of corruption in nations all over the world.
In 2019, Armenia jumped 28 places, from 105th to 77th place, achieving a score of 42, which is an increase of seven points from the previous year. In 2018, 2017, and 2015, Armenia received a score of 35. And in 2016, it received a score of 33.
Since 1995, the Corruption Perceptions Index has been published annually by Transparency International, ranking countries based on “their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.”
The Index uses a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being “absolutely corrupt” and 100 being “absolutely clean.”
According to the report, Armenia ranked higher than its neighbors, with Azerbaijan in 126th place, Iran in 146th place, Russia in 137th and Turkey in 91st place. Only Georgia ranked higher, taking 44th place.
According to Varuzhan Hoktanyan, the project manager of Transparency International’s Anti-Corruption Center, the improvement of Armenia’s rank has been influenced by the political changes after the revolution, international observation of elections, the fight against monopolies, among other factors.
