Brazil Ranks Second in Anti-Corruption Index Among Eight Latin American Countries

By Iolanda Fonseca

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil ranks second in an index measuring the anti-corruption performance of Latin American countries. Eight countries were analyzed on fourteen variables by the Americas Society/Council of the Americas and the Control Risks consultancy.

This is the index’s first edition, with a score from 0 to 10. The higher the number, the more likely it is that agents involved in corruption will be detected, punished, and deterred.

Chile is the country which scored the highest score (6.66). Next up are Brazil (6.14), Colombia (5.36), Argentina (5.33), Peru (5.17), Mexico (4.65), Guatemala (4.55) and Venezuela (1.71).

Divided into subcategories, Brazil leads the rankings for legal capacity, with a score of 6.53. The country is in fifth place (4,71) in the category that measures democracy and political institutions and in second place (note 6,97) concerning civil society, media, and private sector.

The fourteen variables analyzed include factors such as the independence of judicial institutions, the weight of investigative journalism, and the level of resources available to combat white-collar crime.

The index is based on databases and a dedicated questionnaire applied to Control Risks’ anti-corruption specialists, academics, civil society, the media, and the private sector.