Belize less corrupt today than in 2008? Incomplete scores suggest 2022 rank of 52nd, down from 109?

Belize’s rank on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) may have improved, though the country has not been officially ranked for 14 years, a government release informed on Wednesday.

“While Transparency International did not formally list Belize in the 2022 CPI, the organization provided an estimated rank of the country’s corruption index,” the release explained. “Using the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators, Belize’s level of Control of Corruption was calculated at 45.67% out of 100%, indicating that Belize ranks around 47th to 52nd of 180 countries and territories ranked by Transparency International’s CPI.”

The last time Belize was included in this index was in 2008, when the country scored 28 points and ranked 109 out of 180 nations. Consequently, a rank of 52nd would reflect a significant improvement of more than 50 points.

According to representatives from the Good Governance Unit, Belize has been consistently excluded due to a lack of data on the country. The CPI gathers information through at least three data sources drawn from 13 corruption surveys and assessments. However, only two sources used were said to have data for Belize.

In 2020, Belize committed to implementing the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which aims to reduce the risks of corruption and mismanagement. It requires the involvement of strong, anti-corruption bodies, better oversight agencies, and more open and transparent public procurement.

It states that countries must strive towards these goals by developing and sharing data with each other and through international and regional statistics and analytical expertise concerning corruption.

The Good Governance Unit pledged to continue the discussions and partnership with Transparency International and the respective data source organization to get Belize formally ranked and listed, once again, in the CPI.

The CPI calculates a nation’s perceived level of corruption and provides a rank out of a total of 180 countries listed in the index.