Corruption ranking: Switzerland falls slightly behind

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2015 from Transparency International covers a total of 168 countries. Denmark tops the list for the second time, while North Korea and Somalia bring up the rear. The biggest faller compared with the previous year is Brazil (down 7 places); the biggest climbers include Greece, Senegal and the United Kingdom. Two-thirds of the countries surveyed scored below 50 on a scale of 0 (very corrupt) to 100 (exemplary).

CH: Corruption in public procurement

According to Transparency International, Switzerland has fallen slightly in the CPI ranking: After ranking 5th in 2014, it fell back to 7th place in 2015 (for country statistics, see here). This is probably due to cases of corruption in public procurement, as the organization writes. However, year-on-year comparisons are of limited value in assessing a country's actual susceptibility to corruption, because only the perception of corruption is measured and the ranking is of relative importance compared with other countries.

Commenting on Switzerland's performance, Martin Hilti, Managing Director of Transparency International Switzerland, says: "Despite falling from 5th to 7th place, Switzerland still performs favorably in an international comparison. However, this does not mean that Switzerland is free of all corruption. After all, the CPI only measures the perception of corruption in the public sector."

Need for action

Transparency International Switzerland sees a need for action in the following areas in particular:

• Switzerland is still usually involved in an international corruption scandal: The money originating from corrupt acts can still be smuggled into Switzerland too easily;
• Private law continues to lack adequate protection for whistleblowers;
• Switzerland still has no legal regulation on the transparency of party financing and the financing of election and voting campaigns.