The stereotype is known: corruption and Italy go hand in hand. But reality? Looking at the perceived corruption, we are in fifty -second place in the world, nineteenth among the countries of the Union (2024 edition of the Transparency International analysis), marking a step back compared to 2023. Looking at the real data, corruption has halved (last ISTAT report) in less than ten years.
The perception index of corruption is developed every year by Transparency International and is based on a staircase ranging from 0 (high level of perceived corruption) to 100 (low level) and “study” 180 countries and territories from all over the world. With a score of 54 out of 100, Italy ranks to the fifty -two -way place globally. Two points less than 2023, but after years of constant increases. From 2012 to today he has in fact earned 14 points, a sign of constant improvement over time. According to Transparency International analysts, the good results are due to the anti -corruption measures taken in the last decade, such as anti -corruption law 190/2012, law 179/2017 on whistleblowing and the bill of 2024 on the transposition of the European directive on Whistleblowing who have strengthened prevention and transparency. However, the organization emphasizes that unresolved issues remain to curb, such as the lack of a regulation on the conflict of interest and the absence of a discipline on lobbying.
On the global level, the analysis instead highlights a worrying trend: in over ten years, most countries have made few concrete progress in the fight against corruption. More than two thirds of the nations get a score of less than 50 out of 100. Denmark is confirmed by the most virtuous country with 90 points. Finland (88) and Singapore (84) follow. Sud Sudan (8), Somalia (9) and Venezuela (10) close the ranking. Western Europe remains the area with the best average score (64), while the regions with higher perceived corruption levels are sub -Saharan Africa (33) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (35). The global average is 43 and over half of the analyzed countries (56%) gets a lower score.
So far the perception of corruption. Then there are the real data. In Italy according to the report “Corruption in Italy – year 2022-2023” published by Istat in June 2024, there was a clear decrease in the corrupt phenomenon. By comparing the 2020-2023 three-year data with those of 2013-2016, a reduction from 2.7% to 1.3% of families who have undergone at least a request for money, gifts or other are observed. The share of those who know people who have had corruption experiences also decreases, passing from 13.1% to 8.3%. Istat identifies justice as the highest corruption intensity sector, with 4.8% of families who have received undue requests from judges, public ministries or lawyers. In this context, however, there is a decrease in the phenomenon. The exchange vote is also falling: in 2022-2023, 2.7% of Italians received money or favors in exchange for the vote, compared to 3.7% in 2015-2016.
Corruption therefore in Italy is actually decreasing, despite the widespread perception. An analysis that unites perception and reality would give us a more precise picture of the corruption situation in Italy and the progress of the last of the decade.
