According to several sources, corruption is not common on a daily basis in Iceland.[1][2] However, the global financial crisis and subsequent revelations have had a negative impact on the integrity and independence of Iceland's governing institutions.[3]
Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index scored Iceland at 72 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). When ranked by score, Iceland ranked 19th among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.[4] For comparison with worldwide scores, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), the average score was 43, and the worst score was 11 (ranked 180).[5] For comparison with regional scores, the highest score among Western European and European Union countries [Note 1] was 90, the average score was 65 and the lowest score was 42.[6]
According to GRECO's evaluation report 2013, the Icelandic political system was weakened by potential nepotism, close personal relationships between public officials and business and political patronage at the local level.[7] In general, businesses do not consider corruption an obstacle for doing business in Iceland, according to World Economic ForumGlobal Competitiveness Report 2013-2014.[8]
