Serbia is sinking lower and lower in terms of perceptions of corruption, and in 2025 it fell to the bottom of the table among the former Yugoslav republics for the first time, announced by the organization Transparency Serbia.
The corruption perception index last year in this Balkan country was 33 points (out of a possible 100), which is two points less than in 2024, and it ranks 116th out of 182 in the world.
Serbia's index is the lowest since 2012, when the current methodology was applied, and its ranking on the global list is the lowest since 2004, Transparency International added.
Above Serbia are all Balkan countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina with 34 points, Albania with 39, North Macedonia and Bulgaria with one point more, and Kosovo with 43.
Romania follows with 45 points, Montenegro with one more, Croatia with 47, while Slovenia's index is 58.
The situation is "alarming" and worse than in previous years, when Serbia was "stuck in place or making slight progress or decline," while now the decline is much sharper, said Nemanja Nenadić, program director of Transparency Serbia, at the presentation of the report.
Mass anti-government protests initiated by students and "a change in citizens' awareness of corruption" were one of the two main differences compared to last year, and the organization's research showed that "for the first time in history, corruption has been rated as the biggest problem in society," Nenadić adds.
The second difference is investigations and indictments which were initiated against "current and previous ministers in the Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime (TOK)", which has not been the case in Serbia since the 1990s, he assessed.
"Following an investigation into alleged abuses by members of the government, Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime in Serbia is facing increasing pressure.
"This includes government smear campaigns, obstruction of police cooperation, and legal changes that weaken its ability to investigate organized crime and high-level corruption," the organization said in a statement.
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They also pointed to non-transparent decision-making regarding valuable public and private investments.
As an example, they cite "General Staff" case, where the Government of Serbia, "without applying competitive procedures, signed a secret contract with a foreign investor and illegally abolished the protection of cultural monuments."
For the ninth consecutive year, the Serbia index has been falling or remaining unchanged, and in that period it has decreased by a total of nine index points.
Although the government's Anti-Corruption Strategy highlights the goal of the country reaching the global average of 43 points by 2028, state authorities "attach insufficient importance to the fight against corruption, even at a declarative level."
Therefore, there is only a "theoretical possibility" of meeting that goal, Nemanja Nenadić assessed.
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For the first time since Transparency International began publishing data, Bosnia and Herzegovina has overtaken Serbia on the global list, as its index is one point higher (34).
Serbia is now on par with Thailand, Panama and Ecuador in 116th place, 45 positions below its best result from 2015. shows global report.
Serbia's score is nine points below the global average and 29 points lower than the European Union average, while in Europe only Belarus (31), Turkey (31) and Russia (22) are rated lower.
"Weak institutions and the decline of democracy foster corruption and limit the work of civil society in the region," said a regional report from Transparency International.
In several Western Balkan countries, insufficient judicial action is one of the main obstacles to the successful fight against corruption, they add.
Denmark is the best-rated country in the world with 89 points, Finland is one less, and Singapore is 84.
Somalia and South Sudan are ranked the worst with nine points each, while Venezuela has one more.
Transparency expressed concern about the rise of corruption around the world, "even in stable democratic societies".
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