Anti-corruption organization Transparency International has published its annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), revealing Uruguay to be the least corrupt country in the Americas.
Countries receive a CPI score of between 0 and 100, where a higher number represents a lower level of corruption.
Transparency International deemed the region of the Americas to have an average score of 42 for the year of 2024, explaining: “The absence of effective measures promotes human rights violations and increases the influence of economic and political elites and organised crime in public affairs.” Such an environment, the organization claimed, “fosters impunity and weakens countries’ capacity to address climate change, with dramatic consequences for their populations.”
Uruguay, which is currently undergoing a transfer of power from the center-right National Party (Partido Nacional) to the center-left Broad Front (Frente Amplio) following its November elections, received a score of 76, ranking it both the least corrupt country in the Americas and the thirteenth least corrupt country in the world.
Canada came a close second in the Americas with a score of 75, while Barbados emerged in third place with 68 points.
Transparency International detailed the factors which led to Uruguay emerging as the least corrupt country in the region, saying it “stands out for strong institutions and environmental data management and effective citizen participation channels.”
The statement continued: “Uruguayans’ trust in their institutions protected the country from the polarisation and populism plaguing many in the region, allowing peaceful presidential elections with high levels of integrity.”
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation in November described the country as “a beacon of democratic stability” in Latin America, adding that there were “no extremist candidates with a chance of governing” while the elections were underway.
When the results of the elections were announced in November, then-President Luis Lacalle Pou of the National Party revealed that he had contacted victorious Broad Front candidate, Yamandú Orsi, to both congratulate him and organize the transfer of power.
On the other end of the scale, the most corrupt countries in the Americas were deemed to be those “ravaged by organized crime and human rights abuses” and included Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. They received 16, 14, and 10 points in the CPI index respectively.
Argentina and Brazil, the countries between which Uruguay is sandwiched, received 37 and 34 points on the CPI respectively.
Argentina’s score, which has not changed since 2023, was influenced by the introduction of Decree 780/2024 by Javier Milei’s government. The decree redefines the concepts of public and private information, limiting public access to previously accessible information. The move was condemned in an open letter by more than 70 organizations. Additionally, Transparency International found that in Argentina “the quantity and quality of responses from the executive branch to requests for information declined.”
Brazil has dropped two points since 2023, with wildlife trafficking found to be a notable source of corruption. A report from May identified 24 instances of fraud, corruption, and money laundering related to the wildlife trafficking trade.
