Argentina fell on the 2023 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), an annual metric published by Transparency International. Out of 180 countries, Argentina ranked 98th this year.
The index is based on data collected by the organisation’s local chapters, which, in Argentina, is Poder Ciudadano. According to the NGO, the CPI is a “leading global indicator of public sector corruption,” and it offers a yearly snapshot of global misconduct by ranking countries across the world.
Since 2012, Transparency International has worked from an index that allows for comparisons of scores from previous years. Last year, Argentina scored 43 out of 100 total points for the third consecutive year. In 2023, Argentina scored 37 points.
In recent Peronist administrations, Argentina’s corruption rankings treaded downward. After the assumption of Mauricio Macri as president in 2015, Argentina began to climb, scoring 66th place out of 180 in 2019. This was the country’s best performance so far.
According to the 2023 results, cases of global corruption are stagnating or increasing. More than two-thirds of countries included in Transparency International’s analysis scored lower than 50 points. The World Justice Project’s Rule of Law index cites that the world is experiencing a “decline in the functioning of justice systems,” which correlates to higher cases of governmental misbehaviour.
Several historically high-ranking democracies, including the United Kingdom (71 points), Sweden (82) and the Netherlands (79), hit historic lows. Among high-income nations, Argentina has one of the lowest scores, and its integrity has “significantly declined” since 2018.
In the Americas, Transparency International cites lack of judiciary independence as cause for “impunity for the corrupt and powerful.” Their analysis claims that justice systems are failing to uphold checks and balances between different branches of government.
Canada (76) and Uruguay (73) rank highest in this region, and Venezuela (13), Haiti (17) and Nicaragua (17) rank lowest. Of all the nations in the Americas, only Guyana (40) and the Dominican Republic (35) have increased their CPI scores in the last 10 years.
The organisation cites “weak ethics rules for the Supreme Court” as cause for some of the United States (69) lack of judicial integrity. However, according to this study, federal and state courts generally continue to operate with adequate independence.
Compared to other nations in the Americas, Argentina has experienced a more noteworthy decline, losing 8 points since 2018. Other nations in the region that have seen a similar drop include Honduras (23), Nicaragua (17) and Chile (66).
In a press release posted by Transparency International, Daniel Eriksson said that “corruption worsens social injustice and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable.”
“It is time to break the barriers and ensure people can access justice effectively,” the Chief Executive Officer of the organisation wrote. “Everyone deserves fair and inclusive legal systems where victims’ voices are heard at every stage. Anything else is an affront to justice.”
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