Bloomberg Línea — The fifth edition of the Capacity to Combat Corruption index (CCC Index) reflects an anti-corruption environment under pressure throughout Latin America. The study, conducted by Americas Society/Council of the Americas (AS/COA) and Control Risks, again shows Mexico among the region’s worst performers.
Two of the 15 countries, Guatemala and Venezuela, experienced significant decreases in their 2023 scores from the previous year, while Panama experienced a substantial improvement.
The report’s authors highlighted that Guatemala and Mexico are the only two countries whose overall scores have declined every year since the Index was first published in 2019.
The Capacity to Combat Corruption Index
The top country in the region on the index is Uruguay, while Venezuela is bottom.
- Uruguay (6.99 points out of a possible 10)
- Costa Rica (6.76)
- Chile (6.67)
- Peru (5.53)
- Dominican Republic (5.42)
- Panama (5.39)
- Argentina (5.07)
- Brazil (4.83)
- Colombia (4.78)
- Ecuador (4.68)
- Paraguay (4.61)
- Mexico (3.87)
- Guatemala (2.86)
- Bolivia (2.56)
- Venezuela (1.46)
The fifth edition of the CCC Index covers 15 countries, which together account for 96% of Latin America’s GDP.
Rather than measuring perceived levels of corruption, the index evaluates and ranks countries based on how effectively they are able to fight corruption. Countries with a higher score are considered more likely to see corrupt actors prosecuted and punished.
As the authors explain, the CCC Index analyzes 14 key variables, including the independence of judicial institutions, the strength of investigative journalism and the level of resources available to combat white-collar crime. The index is based on extensive data and a proprietary survey of leading anti-corruption experts from watchdog risks, academia, civil society, the media and the private sector.
Main findings
- Uruguay remains in first place in the Index, although it experienced a consecutive year of decline. Despite moderate setbacks, Costa Rica and Chile also retained second and third positions.
- Panama recorded the largest proportional increase in its overall score, driven mainly by improvements in its legal capacity.
- Panama, the Dominican Republic and Paraguay improved their overall scores for the third consecutive year.
- Guatemala and Venezuela each had substantial declines in their overall scores. Guatemala and Mexico are the only two countries whose overall scores have declined each year since the Index was first published in 2019.
