Corruption in North Macedonia is a systemic issue. According toTransparency International's Global Corruption Barometer 2013, corruption is a large concern in the public sector as more than half of the surveyed households considerParliament,police, public officials, and particularly the judiciary and political parties very corrupt.[1]
On Transparency International's 2024Corruption Perceptions Index, which scored 180 countries on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"), North Macedonia scored 40. When ranked by score, North Macedonia ranked 88th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.[2] For comparison with regional scores, the best score among Eastern European and Central Asian countries[Note 1] was 53, the average score was 35 and the worst score was 17.[3] For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 8 (ranked 180).[4]
The business environment in North Macedonia is negatively affected by corruption. Several sources indicate that corruption is considered an obstacle to doing business, and businessmen have reported that bribery is demanded sometimes during public procurement and contracting.[5][6][7]
The European Commission Progress Report 2013 indicates some positive developments regarding North Macedonia's law enforcement and corruption prevention activities.[8]
