Albanians “masters” of bribery, rank second in Europe

After the 1990s, the culture of bribery in Albania became a common phenomenon. The perception was that if you did not pay, nothing could get done in public administration, you would not receive services in hospitals, or in other institutions.

Although many services have gone online in recent years, the latest data from Eurostat showed that the criminal offenses registered for bribery in Albania in 2024 remain high relative to the population.

According to Eurostat, in 2024 there were 261 criminal proceedings registered for bribery, or 10.9 proceedings per 100,000 inhabitants. At this level, Albanians rank second in Europe for bribery offenses relative to population, after Hungary, which holds a record of 39 proceedings per 100,000 inhabitants.

Hungary clearly tops the ranking, with 38.99 proceedings per 100,000 inhabitants, a much higher level than all other countries. Hungary has faced international criticism for years over corruption and weaknesses in enforcing anti-bribery measures.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has expressed concern over the low level of enforcement against international bribery in Hungary and the lack of progress on previous recommendations.

However, Eurostat emphasizes that data on criminal offenses recorded by the police should be interpreted with caution, as they are affected by differences in legislation, registration methods, reporting practices, and the intensity of law enforcement in each country.

In Hungary’s case, the high level may also be linked to the way authorities register bribery cases and to the stronger focus of law enforcement agencies on this category of offenses.

In Albania’s case, the high level of bribery proceedings is linked to a combination of factors: a strong presence of petty corruption in public services, a long-standing culture of informality, and an increased focus by law enforcement institutions on corruption-related offenses.

The European Commission has emphasized that corruption remains a serious area of concern for Albania, despite progress in judicial reform and the growing role of SPAK in investigating high-level corruption. Data from Transparency International also show that the perception of corruption in the public sector remains problematic.

In the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, Albania scored 42 out of 100 points and ranked 80th globally, placing it still far behind Western European countries. A previous study by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and INSTAT on corruption in Albania showed that bribery was viewed by many citizens as a common practice, while less than 1% of those facing bribery reported the case.

In Albania, since data reporting began in 2016, the highest number of proceedings was recorded in 2022, with 495 such cases.

In the region, Albania stands significantly higher than the other countries. Montenegro has 4.01 proceedings per 100,000 inhabitants, Kosovo 2.24, Serbia 1.83, and North Macedonia 1.2, while Bosnia and Herzegovina does not appear in this chart for this category. Albania’s large gap compared to neighboring countries shows that bribery remains a present phenomenon in the relationship between citizens, businesses, and public institutions.

In the developed countries of Western Europe, bribery proceedings are much lower relative to the population. Italy has 0.52 proceedings per 100,000 inhabitants, Portugal 0.48, Switzerland 0.41, Denmark 0.32, and Spain only 0.18. This does not necessarily mean that corruption is absent, but it indicates that direct bribery in everyday services is less widespread or less frequently recorded as a criminal offense.

In these countries, corruption often appears in more sophisticated forms, such as conflicts of interest, influence over tenders, unfair lobbying, or favoritism in public contracts. Meanwhile, in countries with weaker institutions, bribery remains more tangible for ordinary citizens in administrative services, healthcare, police, education, or relations with local government authorities.

“KORÇA BOOM”