Corruption in Kuwait is a problem resulting in political tensions in society.[1]
Kuwait's bureaucracy can be biased in favour of domestic companies.[2] The public procurement process is susceptible to corruption, there are some ongoing investigations and trials involving government officials accused of wrongdoing in the procurement process.[3]
Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, which scored 180 countries on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"), gave Kuwait a score of 46. When ranked by score, Kuwait ranked 63rd 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 average score among Middle Eastern and North African countries [Note 1] was 34. The highest score among Middle Eastern and North African countries was 68 and the lowest score was 13.[6]
The government has tried to reduce corruption and increase transparency in the public sector by establishing an independent anti-corruption authority and by strengthening the anti-corruption legal framework through several initiatives and efforts.
