Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index scored corruption in Hungary as the highest of any European Union member state. Referring to Hungary's 2023 score of 42, Transparency International wrote, "Over a decade of systemic breach of the rule of law in Hungary (42) has created a system where high-level corruption thrives unsanctioned. The rule of law reforms, coupled with a recent legislative initiative to silence remaining critics, reveal the government’s commitment to protect the status quo."[2] In 2021, a European Commission report expressed frustration at Hungary's lack of progress in fighting corruption: "Risks of clientelism, favouritism and nepotism in high-level public administration, as well as risks arising from the link between businesses and political actors, remain unaddressed."[3] In 2019, Freedom House downgraded Hungary's status from Free to Partly Free "due to sustained attacks on the country's democratic institutions by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party, which has used its parliamentary supermajority to impose restrictions on or assert control over the opposition, the media, religious groups, academia, NGOs, the courts, asylum seekers, and the private sector since 2010".[4] This was the first time a member of the European Union was designated as Partly Free.[5] In response the Hungarian government stated that "Freedom House is a member of the Soros-empire, is funded by Soros, and is now supporting Soros's electoral campaign. They are attacking Hungary with other Soros-organisations because the Hungarians have decided that they do not want their country to become a migrant haven."[6]
Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, which scores 180 countries on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"), shows that Hungary's score has decreased by thirteen points over the last twelve years. The 2023 Index scored Hungary at 42. When ranked by score, Hungary ranked 76th among the countries in the Index, where the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector.[7] 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).[8] 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.[9]
In 2019, Hungary had 60 intentional homicides at a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 according to the office of the prosecutor general.[10] In 2020, the homicide rate was 0.83 per 100,000.[11]
Between 2008–2013, there were an average of 4,000 crimes against every 100,000 members of the population, of which at least 50% were considered serious crimes.[12]
As of 2017 the number of crimes had fallen to 2,315 per 100,000.[10]
Jozsef Hatala of the National Police (ORFK) stated in 2011 that the criminal underworld is strongest in Budapest and its surrounding counties. The murder rate is similar across the counties.[13] In 2016, northern Hungary had the highest number of registered perpetrators of crime per 100,000 inhabitants and Western Transdanubia the lowest.[14]
