Corruption enriches the few, but weakens the social fabric, the economy and the State. Where corruption is rampant, it becomes a key obstacle to development. Corruption undermines the rule of law and democracy; it leads to the wasting of public funds; it distorts competition; it hampers trade and inhibits investments. Thus, there is a general agreement today that corruption is a major evil.
Even if certainly not free of corruptive behaviours, Switzerland belongs to the group of the most virtuous countries in this field, subscribing to the highest scores of the Corruption Perception Index of the NGO Transparency International. In 2018, Switzerland ranked third out of 180 countries examined, with a score of 85/100.
Corruption is not a necessary evil. For some time now, efforts to combat corruption have been stepped up internationally on all fronts. To this end, Switzerland actively participates in the development of international instruments aimed at combatting corruption. These can be seen on the following page:
