Ukrainians assess the prevalence of corruption as high, although in practice they are encountering corruption less and less. 91.4% of the population believe that corruption is somewhat or very widespread, while 18.7% of citizens have had their own corruption experience. These are the results of the nationwide survey Corruption in Ukraine 2024: Understanding, Perception, Prevalence conducted by Info Sapiens sociological company on behalf of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP).
The perception of the prevalence of corruption in Ukraine has been consistently high for many years in a row. At the same time, the actual experience of corruption among the population has significantly decreased over the past decade. According to a study conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, as recently as 2015, the share of the population that had to deal with any form of corruption at least once a year was more than two-thirds (70.7%).
A series of corruption surveys conducted by Info Sapiens at the request of the NACP also demonstrates a gradual decline in the corruption experience of Ukrainians. For comparison, in 2020, 27% of the population faced corruption, which is almost a third more than last year.
Despite citizens' critical assessment of the results of the fight against corruption in Ukraine, a significant decrease in corruption experience may be one of the markers of the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures in a number of areas. For example, ten years ago, almost 70% of citizens faced corruption in healthcare, while last year, half as many respondents (28.5%) reported corruption experience in this area. Positive dynamics is also observed in education (currently 12-15.1%) and in the provision of administrative services (3.8%), i.e. in the sectors with which most people come into contact.
The tendency for the perception of corruption to be significantly higher than the actual experience of corruption is also observed in many other countries. According to the Eurobarometer's Citizens' Attitudes to Corruption in the EU in 2024 survey, more than 90% of the population of Portugal, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, Malta, and Cyprus believe that corruption is widespread in their countries.
At the same time, these countries have quite high scores in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by Transparency International. In 2024, Slovenia was ranked 36th among 180 countries (60 points out of 100), Portugal - 43rd (57 points), Cyprus - 46th (56 points), Greece - 59th (49 points), Croatia - 63rd (47 points), Malta - 65th (46 points). Ukraine ranks 105th with a score of 35 points.
Even in those EU member states where people have the lowest level of corruption experience, the perception of corruption is much higher. For example, in Finland, 3% of the population has faced corruption, and six times as many people consider it widespread. In Sweden, 3% of people have experienced corruption, while almost half of the population considers it widespread. In Portugal, only 1% of citizens reported having experienced corruption, while the perception of corruption is 96%. Overall, in 2024 , 68%, or almost seven out of ten EU citizens, considered corruption to be very widespread in their countries.
This situation shows that the perception of corruption is not identical to its actual level. Instead, public assessments are influenced by various factors, including intensive media coverage of corruption cases, lack of awareness of what constitutes corruption under the law, the impact of misinformation, etc.
