Corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina

A general public survey on corruption from Transparency International shows that citizens perceive Bosnia and Herzegovina's political structures to be deeply affected by corruption. Two-thirds of citizens believe that the government's efforts to combat corruption are ineffective.

On Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, Bosnia and Herzegovina scored 35 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). When ranked by score, Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked 108th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. For comparison with worldwide scores, the average score was 43, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), and the worst score was 11 (ranked 180). For comparison with regional scores, the highest score among Eastern European and Central Asian countries was 53, the average score was 35 and the lowest score was 18.

Dynamics
Corruption levels are considered high in Bosnia and Herzegovina and have created stumbling blocks in its bid for future EU membership, according to the EU's Progress Report in 2013. The country's complex legal and regulatory frameworks create opportunities for corruption. Facilitation payments are seen as pervasive throughout the Bosnian business climate.

Anti-corruption efforts
The government has set up the 2009-2014 Strategy for the Fight against Corruption and prosecuted several high-profile cases, yet the overall enforcement of the legislative and institutional frameworks remains poor.

Enhancing Civil Society Participation
Citizens participation and the values of integrity, accountability, and transparency are crucial components of fighting corruption. It is important to develop programs and actions to change the cultural understanding of corruption and help citizens to act against abuses.