Bribery Rates by Country 2026
Bribery is one of the most common forms of corruption worldwide, involving the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of something of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in a position of authority. This analysis presents bribery crime rates per 100,000 population across 80 countries, based on official data reported to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Bribery refers to the act of offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting something of value as a means to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public or legal duty. This includes bribing public officials, foreign officials, and private sector employees. [TABLE2|title=Bribery Rates by Country Per 100k Population] Common forms of bribery include: Bribery statistics are particularly challenging to compare across countries. Higher reported rates often indicate active anti-bribery enforcement and transparent legal systems rather than higher actual bribery levels. Countries with dedicated anti-corruption units, whistleblower protections, and strong institutions tend to detect and prosecute more cases. Conversely, very low rates may indicate weak enforcement, cultural acceptance of bribery, or lack of reporting mechanisms rather than actual absence of bribery. Many bribery cases go unreported because both parties benefit from keeping the transaction secret. Morocco recorded the highest bribery rate at 54.61 per 100,000 population in 2022, significantly higher than other countries. This reflects Morocco's active anti-corruption campaigns in recent years. Albania showed a notable increase from 5.61 in 2020 to 17.47 in 2022, indicating intensified enforcement efforts. Eastern European countries show relatively high rates, with Lithuania (11.96), Slovenia (9.03), Hungary (8.45), Latvia (8.19), Poland (8.00), and Estonia (8.00) all recording significant figures in 2022. Major Western economies show very low reported rates: United States (0.24), United Kingdom (0.03), France (0.36), and Germany (5.86). These low figures may reflect different legal classifications, prosecution under other statutes, or handling through civil rather than criminal proceedings.What is Bribery?
Important Note on Interpreting This Data
Key Findings
Data Source
Bribery Rates by Country Per 100k Population
#
1
65.18
43.98
54.61
2
5.61
9.23
17.47
3
11.2
12.52
11.96
4
15.34
17.63
11.01
5
14.17
8.85
9.03
6
1.54
2.62
8.75
7
20.77
63.33
8.45
8
6.36
7.8
8.19
9
13.27
13.03
8
10
3.01
3.08
8
11
5.43
8.26
7.71
12
4.99
6.11
5.86
13
3.45
3.29
2.88
14
10.27
4.04
2.87
15
1.72
2.21
2.32
16
3.5
3.96
2.24
17
2.61
2.85
2.14
18
2.23
2.06
2.12
19
0.99
1.32
1.95
20
1.93
1.4
1.81
21
0.84
0.91
1.73
22
1.09
0.9
1.69
23
2.34
2.22
1.69
24
-
1.7
1.68
25
1.47
3.84
1.65
26
0.41
0.64
1.63
27
1.7
1.47
1.54
28
0.6
2.39
1.26
29
1.21
1.76
1.24
30
0.19
1.14
0.95
31
1.07
0.98
0.94
32
0.95
0.7
0.92
33
1.75
0.5
0.9
34
0.32
0.38
0.87
35
0.65
0.88
0.77
36
0.26
0
0.74
37
0.82
0.81
0.73
38
0.23
0.69
0.65
39
0.56
0.78
0.62
40
0.68
0.57
0.6
41
0.6
0.96
0.54
42
0.72
0.49
0.46
43
0.36
0.43
0.42
44
0.62
0.41
0.41
45
4.83
0.42
0.4
46
0.1
0.29
0.37
47
0.31
0.4
0.36
48
0.58
0.36
0.28
49
0.26
0.1
0.26
50
-
0.34
0.24
51
0.22
0.9
0.17
52
0.15
0.27
0.15
53
0.18
0.07
0.14
54
0.14
0.07
0.11
55
0.03
0.02
0.03
56
0.03
0.06
0.03
57
0.05
0.04
0.02
58
0
0.01
0.02
59
-
0
0
60
0.25
0.5
0
61
0.29
0.14
0
62
0.79
0.62
0
63
0.11
0.11
0
64
0.12
0
0
65
0
0.86
0
66
10.98
-
-
67
6.35
-
-
68
3.25
3.56
-
69
2.28
1.84
-
70
1.17
1.84
-
71
-
1.21
-
72
1.2
-
-
73
0.04
0.71
-
74
0.7
-
-
75
0.58
0.68
-
76
0.47
0.58
-
77
0.31
0.55
-
78
0.23
0.21
-
79
-
0.07
-
80
0.03
-
-
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has the highest bribery rate?
Morocco has the highest reported bribery rate at 54.61 per 100,000 population in 2022. This reflects Morocco's active anti-corruption efforts and enforcement rather than necessarily indicating higher actual bribery levels. Countries with weak enforcement often show lower rates despite potentially higher actual bribery.
Why is the bribery rate so low in some major economies?
Major economies like the United States (0.24) and United Kingdom (0.03) show very low bribery rates for several reasons: bribery cases may be prosecuted under different statutes (fraud, corruption), federal vs. state jurisdiction issues affect reporting, and strict legal definitions may exclude borderline cases. Additionally, corporate bribery is often handled through civil settlements rather than criminal prosecutions.
Data Disclaimer: Projected data (future years) are estimates based on mathematical models. Actual values may differ. Learn about our methodology →
Sources
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Updated: 08.12.2025https://dataunodc.un.org/dp-crime-corruption-offences
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