Uruguay leads international rankings in terms of transparency and lower perception of corruption in the region.
According to the Corruption Perception Index for the year 2023, prepared by the non-governmental organization Transparency International , Uruguay is perceived as the most transparent country in Latin America, with a total of 73 points out of 100 possible (where 0 is equivalent to a perception of high levels of corruption), consolidating its leadership position in the region as it has done in previous years. With this score, Uruguay is placed in 18th place out of a total of 180 countries, with Canada being the only American country that surpassed Uruguay with a score of 76 points.
According to the Transparency International report, “ more than two-thirds of countries obtain a score of less than 50 out of 100, which indicates that they have serious corruption problems. The global average is stuck at just 43 points, while the vast majority of countries have made no progress or have declined in the last decade .”
Likewise, according to the 2023 Democracy Index (prepared by The Economist Intelligence Unit ), Uruguay ranks 14th globally, and is positioned as the leading nation in democracy in Latin America. The report analyzes the situation of 165 countries, evaluating measures such as the electoral process and pluralism, government functioning, political participation, political and democratic culture, and civil liberties. According to this last index, Uruguay obtained a score of 8.66 out of 10 and placed first in the Latin American ranking.
The Economist assures in its report that at a global level there is a fall in democracy, while in Latin America the fall is dramatic. The index shows that just over 1% of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean lives in a full democracy, 54% in defective democracies, 35% in a hybrid regime (between imperfect and authoritarian), and 9% in authoritarian regimes.
Uruguay seems to be an exception in the global and regional panorama. Without a doubt, this privileged place in international rankings will be another of the attractive advantages to be appreciated by investors when considering their installation or stay in Uruguay.
For more information contact:
Carla Arellano | Counselor Ferrere | carellano@ferrere.com
