Public integrity refers to the consistent alignment of, and adherence to, shared ethical values, principles and norms for upholding and prioritising the public interest over private interests in the public sector.
Public integrity indicators
The OECD Public Integrity Indicators focus on actionable criteria to support anti-corruption initiatives, compare performance and identify good practices. The objective, evidence-based and actionable data helps decision-makers understand the strengths and weaknesses of national anti-corruption and public integrity systems, better allocate resources, and target specific challenges.
Key links
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Key messages
Almost half of those surveyed in the 2021 OECD Trust Survey believed that a high-level political official would grant a political favour in exchange for the offer of a well-paid private sector job.
Context
Most OECD countries have a strategic approach to corruption, and two-thirds of the planned activities are implemented in practice.
In recent years, OECD countries have intensified efforts to develop a strategic approach for mitigating corruption risks. Since, 2020, many OECD countries have developed an anti-corruption or integrity strategy for the first time, and 71% of OECD countries now have a strategy in place.
Yet monitoring, evaluation and implementation of strategic frameworks needs to be improved. On average across all OECD countries that have an anti-corruption and integrity strategy, of the countries which collect this information, 67% of planned activities are implemented in practice.
OECD countries with a strategic approach to mitigate corruption risks
![lobbying chart](/https/www.oecd.org/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--c546ae98-0c76-4d7b-b5ae-dc5d2de37272/oecd-countries-with-a-strategic-approach-to-mitigate-corruption-risks.png?preferwebp=true&quality=80)
Regulations on anti-corruption are becoming more comprehensive and sophisticated, but considerable implementation gaps remain.
Across the OECD, key gaps in regulations remain: for example, lobbying regulations are particularly underdeveloped, or non-existent, in many countries. Likewise, implementation remains a challenge in some areas, with regulations on corruption risk management and audit the least implemented.
While more countries are adopting strategies to curb corruption, they still mainly focus on actions to promote integrity in the public sector, not the private sector, and fail to adapt to newer integrity risks.
Strength of regulations and their application in practice
![Strength of regulations and their application in practice](/https/www.oecd.org/adobe/dynamicmedia/deliver/dm-aid--377aedde-7a62-4a62-9ef3-d6ac4fe336dd/strength-of-regulations-and-their-application-in-practice.png?preferwebp=true&quality=80)
OECD Public Integrity Indicators Portal
The OECD Public Integrity Indicators establish a new benchmark for government resilience to corruption risks and for strengthening public integrity. Based on primary data sources and validated by countries, the Indicators help bolster global efforts against corruption by providing actionable data. The portal currently features data on the quality of public integrity and anti-corruption strategies.
Latest insights
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oecdecoscope.blog26 August 2022
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