World Bank ranks Georgia 13th worldwide, top 10 in Europe by low bribery

Georgia has been ranked 13th worldwide and among the top 10 states in Europe by low bribery incidence, while also being listed as the world leader in freedom from bribery while obtaining government contracts, the Administration of the Government said on Monday, Azernews reports, citing Agenda.

The body said the rankings had been listed in the findings of the World Bank's latest Enterprise Surveys, which interviewed 592 company owners and senior managers in Georgia between April and September 2023.

Revaz Javelidze, the Head of the Government Administration, said the survey's questionnaire covered “important” factors for business environment and economy infrastructure, ranging from international trade, finances, regulations, taxes and business licensing, corruption, crime and informal economy, access to financing, innovations, workforce and factors crippling business environment.

According to data prior to 2013, Georgia's indicators in bribe acceptance incidence made up 9.84 percent, being therefore 10 times less favourable than in 2023”, Javelidze said in reference to the period under the former Government.

The situation started improving drastically after 2013, when the bribe acceptance indicator dropped to 1.43 percent, while the best results are found in the 2023 survey, which shows an improvement in bribe acceptance incidence down to one percent”, he added.

Georgia has been ranked 43rd out of 196 countries in the Global Corruption Index, published in November by the Swiss risk management company Global Risk Profile. The Government Administration said the country had been promoted by two places and included in the top 25 percent of the Index.

In the ranking of corruption control of the Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum 2023, Georgia ranked 20th in the world, 11th in Europe, and second among post-Soviet countries.

The 2022 Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International ranked the country 41st among 180 countries and as the leader in the region.

Georgia’s position improved in the European Research Centre for Anti Corruption and State-Building’s latest Transparency in the Time of War index, with a change from 54th to 17th, and the 2023 Global Corruption Index by Global Risk Profile, where it was promoted by two places and listed 43rd among 200 countries.