Republic of Northern Macedonia on the list according to Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index for 2021 is located at 87 place from 180 ranked countries, with 39 out of a possible 100 points, which is an increase of four points and a jump of 24 places compared to last year. Yet the country remains below the global average of 43 points, along with two-thirds of all ranked countries.

The director of Transparency International - Macedonia Slagjana Taseva, presenting the findings from the CPI for 2021 at today's press conference, said that we have an improvement, but it does not mean that it is very good and the result is still low and we are far from what we were in 2015, when we were 66 place.

Transparency International reveals that countries that do not respect civil liberties have a lower CPI score. Self-satisfaction in the fight against corruption, even when there are visible shortcomings, leads to an increase in human rights violations and undermines democracy, setting an incorrect curve.

"Human rights are not the most pleasant thing to have in the fight against corruption. An authoritarian approach destroys the independence of the brake system and makes anti-corruption efforts dependent on the elite. "The ability of people to speak freely and have power in their hands is the only sustainable way to a society free of corruption." Delia Ferreira Rubio, President of Transparency International.

According to Taseva, The CPI for 2021 reaffirmed that despite concerted efforts and very hard-won gains, progress in the fight against corruption could not be considered final. The scale of the problem is huge: the global average remains unchanged at 43 out of 100 for the tenth year in a row, and two-thirds of countries (123) have a serious corruption problem with a score below 50 out of 100.

- The European Union accession process in the Western Balkans and Turkey - and potentially in some Eastern European countries in the future - offers an opportunity to reverse the decline in the region. "The first results are already being seen, but governments in the region must make the necessary reforms, including creating an environment in which ordinary people can safely act to control abuses of power," Taseva said.

The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories according to perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (non-corrupt). The average CPI score is 43 for the tenth year in a row, and 2/3 of the countries had received below 50 points.

Northern Macedonia shares this year's 87th place with Kosovo, Colombia, Ethiopia, Guyana, Morocco, Suriname, Tanzania and Vietnam.

The first place in the Corruption Perceptions Index is shared by Denmark, Finland and New Zealand with 88 points each, while in 180th place is South Sudan with 11 points.

From the countries in the region, the best ranked is Slovenia, which is on the 41st place with 57 points and a decrease of six places compared to 2020, when it was on the 35th position. It is followed by Greece, which is in 58th place with 49 points, which is a growth of one place compared to 2020.

Croatia is unchanged at 63rd place with the same 47 points as last year.

Next is Montenegro, which is in 64th place with 46 points and an increase of three positions compared to 2020, then Bulgaria, which is in 78th place with 42 points, which is a decrease of nine places compared to the increase of two points compared to 2020.

Northern Macedonia is in 87th place with 39 points, which is an improvement of four points and a jump of 24 places compared to last year. Kosovo is on the 87th place with 39 points, which is an increase of 14 positions compared to 2020, followed by Serbia, which is on the 96th place with the same 38 points, but with a decrease of two places compared to 2020, then Albania which is in 110th place with 35 points, which is a decrease of seven places compared to last year and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is in 110th place with 35 points, the same as in 2020, but with a one-place improvement in this year’s Index for perception of corruption.