Switzerland ranked third-least corrupt country in index
The country has moved up two places in Transparency International’s (TI) 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index, ranking joint third alongside Finland and Norway.
The global watchdog group’s annual indexExternal link, published on Wednesday, found that only New Zealand and Denmark are perceived as being less corrupt than Switzerland.
Despite dropping one percentile point overall, the Alpine nation jumped from fifth to third in a study that analyses perceptions by business people and country experts of the level of corruption in the public sector.
TI Switzerland director, Martin Hilti, said in a statement to the Swiss News Agency that the ranking did not necessarily mean that the country is free of corruption.
In fact, he said, corruption was a “regular occurrence” in Switzerland, particularly in the private sector, which was not included in the statistics.
The report also did not take into consideration that Swiss companies might be involved in corrupt activity abroad, Hilti said.
Corruption continues to be a global problem and the majority of countries are moving too slowly in their efforts to combat it, the Berlin-based NGO said.
Popular Stories
More
Culture
Documentary portrays Swiss teenagers forced to return to parents’ homeland
Switzerland condemned for deciding to deport gay Iranian
This content was published on
Switzerland violated the prohibition on inhuman treatment by considering that a gay Iranian could be returned to his country.
Gestational diabetes found to increase risk of adult-onset diabetes
This content was published on
A research team from the Lake Geneva region has identified persistent dysfunctions in glucose regulation in women with gestational diabetes. In the long term, this can increase the risk of adult-onset diabetes by up to ten times.
Swiss village must be evacuated by midday on Sunday
This content was published on
The village of Brienz-Brinzauls in eastern Switzerland, which is threatened by a rockfall, must be evacuated by 1pm on Sunday. All residents must leave the village.
This content was published on
A former judge of the Graubünden Administrative Court in eastern Switzerland has been found guilty of rape, sexual harassment and threatening a former trainee.
Costs and care time increase in Swiss retirement and nursing homes
This content was published on
In 2023 the costs of retirement and nursing homes increased by 5% compared to 2022 and those of assistance and care at home by 7%. Together, they amounted to CHF15 billion.
This content was published on
Almost half of the population in Switzerland shows clear to pronounced signs of smartphone addiction, according to a survey.
Swiss healthcare stakeholders want to save CHF300 million
This content was published on
The main players in the Swiss healthcare sector want to save around CHF300 million ($340 million) in healthcare costs a year from 2026.
This content was published on
The Swiss authorities are evaluating a request for legal assistance from Brazilian prosecutors investigating allegations of Olympic Games bribery.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.