According to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) Report by Transparency International (TI), state capture by political and economic elites in Guyana “fosters misappropriation of resources, illicit enrichment, and an environmental crime.”
The report noted, “Although the country has created anti-corruption institutions and laws, transparency and law enforcement are very low, and attacks on dissenting voices, activists, and journalists are increasingly common.”
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Furthermore, since the country’s CPI index score fell by one point in the fourth full year of the PPP/C’s rule, Guyana’s opinion of corruption has increased. As in 2022, the assessment from last year stated that the nation had made some progress and awarded it a score of 40, one point better than the score from 2021. At 39 this year, Guyana is ranked 92 out of 180 nations, down from 87 and 85 in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The nations of Tunisia, Zambia, and Colombia have the same ranking and score as Guyana.
With a score of 39 and a position of 87 out of 180 nations, the nation fell two points from the year before in 2021. On a scale of 0 to 100, where 100 indicates very clean and 0 indicates severely corrupt, the study states that a nation’s score represents the perceived degree of public sector corruption.
The rank of a nation is determined by how it compares to the other nations in the index. Simply altering the number of nations in the index might cause rankings to shift. According to the research, the score is more significant than the rank in determining the degree of corruption in that nation.
Once again, Finland and Denmark had the highest ratings (90 and 88, respectively), followed by Singapore (84). Conversely, South Sudan, Somalia, and Venezuela had ratings of 8, 9, and 10, respectively.
Guyana continues to lag well behind Barbados and The Bahamas, the region’s leaders. Barbados now sits at 69 out of 180 nations, down one point from its previous score of 68. With 65 points, the Bahamas is ranked 28th. Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Suriname, Grenada, St. Lucia, and Jamaica are all ranked higher than Guyana. Guyana is the only CARICOM nation ahead of Haiti, which improved its ranking and score from the previous year with a score of 18 and a rating of 168. From 2012 Guyana saw scores of 28, 27, 30, 29, 34, 38, 37, 40, 41, and 39 with 2022 and 2023 seeing scores of 40.
Corruption is a serious issue everywhere in the world, according to the 2024 CPI, but many nations are seeing positive improvement.
The report stated, “Research also reveals that corruption is a major threat to climate action. It hinders progress in reducing emissions and adapting to the unavoidable effects of global heating.”
It pointed out that although 32 nations have seen a considerable decrease in corruption since 2012, 148 have remained the same or worsened over the same period, indicating that much more needs to be done. It further mentioned, “The global average of 43 has also stood still for years, while over two-thirds of countries score below 50. Billions of people live in countries where corruption destroys lives and undermines human rights.”
Bribery, fraudulent use of public funds, officials using their public office for private gain with consequences, governments’ ability to curb corruption in the public sector, excessive red tape in the public sector that could invite corruption, nepotistic appointments in public office, laws requiring public officials to disclose their finances and potential conflicts of curiosity, legal protection for those who report bribery and corruption, state captioning by narrow vested interests, and access to information and public affairs are all factors that are taken into consideration when compiling the CPI. Under the public sector, each of these topics is investigated.
At least three data sources from 13 distinct corruption surveys and evaluations are used to get a country’s score. According to the research, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum are among the several respectable organizations that gather data sources. Transparency International employees’ opinions are not reflected in scores, according to CPI.
