Integrity is a strategic asset for governments and businesses. It protects democracies against corruption, fraud and waste, supports economic growth and fair competition, and improves trust and engagement with public institutions. The Anti-Corruption and Integrity Outlook 2026 assesses the strengths and gaps in 37 OECD Member and 25 partner countries’ integrity systems, and finds that, despite recent progress, implementation of integrity measures remains uneven. It provides recommendations to fill these gaps, and explores tools for mitigating evolving corruption risks related to fraud, public procurement and organised crime.
Anti‑Corruption and Integrity Outlook 2026
Harnessing the Integrity Advantage
Introduction
Key figures
19 pp
Average gap between the strength of integrity regulations (63%) and implementation (44%) in OECD countries, against 26 pp in partner countries.
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OECD Members and 1 in 2 OECD partners track the implementation of their anti-corruption strategy.
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OECD Members and less than half of partners - judges and prosecutors consistently submit the required interest declarations.
OECD Member and partner countries could improve the implementation of anti-corruption and integrity regulations
In OECD countries, across all areas the average gap between the strength of integrity regulations (63%) and implementation (44%) is now 19 percentage points, compared to a 26 percentage-point gap in partner countries. For example, only around 1 in 4 OECD Members (and around half of partners) track the implementation of their anti-corruption strategies.
Improving implementation could better safeguard public decision making and resources against corruption, especially given changing corruption risks around fraud, public procurement and organised crime.
In addition to government, anti-corruption strategies often focus on corruption prevention in the private sector, but rarely cover SOEs, PPPs and other high-risk areas
Taking a risk-based approach to anti-corruption allows countries to take the most cost-effective steps to protect the most vulnerable areas and tackle the most harmful risks, including related to fraud, public procurement and organised crime. Such an approach is even more important amid fiscal constraints.
In addition to government, OECD Members and partners often set strategic objectives to target corruption in the private sector, but countries could also better safeguard other vulnerable areas such as state-owned enterprises (SOEs), public-private partnerships (PPPs) and other high-risk areas.
Better use of tech and data is boosting implementation, but countries could go further
OECD Member and partner countries are using data and digital tools to strengthen integrity. Examples include the use of machine learning and analytics to improve risk management and audit, or use of AI to analyse large datasets and identify fraud.
However, opportunities remain to expand the use of such tools to enhance oversight, enforcement and accountability. For example, only 44% of OECD Member countries use digital systems to facilitate the submission and verification of interest and asset declarations, compared to 63% of OECD partners.
Integrity-enhancing measures in justice systems could be strengthened
A strong justice system is essential to address abuse of power and maintain the public and businesses’ trust. Yet, more could be done to ensure its integrity. For instance, most OECD Member and partner countries have conflict-of-interest policies in place for judges and prosecutors. However, in less than one-third of OECD Members and less than half of partners do judges and prosecutors consistently submit the required interest declarations.
Opportunities therefore remain to improve judges’ and prosecutors’ submission rates and, in OECD countries, to bring them in line with other categories of public official.
What can governments do?
Countries could build further on commitments to target corruption risk in the private sector and set strategic objectives for state-owned enterprises, public-private partnerships and other high-risk areas such as healthcare or defence. Efforts to enhance fraud prevention, public procurement integrity, and protection from organised crime should be stepped up.
Improving dataflows and integrating digital tools (such as AI and analytics) in day-to-day integrity functions are key to improving implementation and monitoring. OECD Member and partner countries could continue to develop data quality, interoperability and effective governance for stronger oversight, enforcement and accountability functions.
Countries could improve integrity-enhancing measures in the justice system by supporting judges and prosecutors to submit interest declarations, strengthening merit and objectivity in selection and promotion procedures for judges and prosecutors, supporting implementation of standards of conduct, and strengthening whistleblowing mechanisms in the judiciary and public prosecutors’ offices.
Country notes
- A - C
- D - I
- J - M
- N - R
- S - T
- U - Z
