The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released by Transparency International on January 30, reveals that most countries have shown minimal to no improvement in combating corruption within the public sector. The global average CPI score has stagnated at 43 for the twelfth consecutive year. Over two-thirds of countries have CPI scores below 50, signaling significant corruption challenges.

Armenia's CPI value for 2023 has risen by 1 point compared to the previous year, reaching 47 (it was 46 points in 2022) on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). However, considering that the standard error of Armenia’s 2023 CPI measurement is 2.54 (compared to 2.47 in 2022), which is greater than the increase in the CPI value (1 point), it can be argued that this change is not statistically significant and falls within the statistical margin of error.

Transparency International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia regional analysis noted that “In the two years following the 2018 Velvet Revolution, Armenia (47) experienced significant democratic and anti-corruption reforms. However, progress against corruption has stalled primarily due to the limited implementation of these new measures. Despite facing security threats – like many countries in the region – Armenia has the potential to navigate such difficulties and turn strong policies into better control of corruption.”

In the 2023 CPI ranking table comprising 180 countries, Armenia occupies the 62nd position (in 2022, Armenia shared the 63rd to 64th places with Romania). The data shows that Armenia does not fall within the mid-range among the Council of Europe countries. This underscores the substantial work that Armenia still needs to undertake to achieve tangible progress in combating corruption.

Armenia's CPI value in 2023 (47) continues to surpass the global average CPI value, which remains at 43, as it has for the past three years. However, it falls below the critical threshold of 50, identified by anticorruption experts as indicative of significant corruption issues in countries. Nevertheless, Armenia's 2023 CPI value exceeds those of its neighboring countries (except Georgia) and all other Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) members (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan).

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