Thewesternbalkans.
According to different media and analytical centres, the Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation (MCIC) has published its new “Corruption Assessment Report in North Macedonia 2025.”
The report provides a comprehensive overview of the state and dynamics of corruption in the country. The new edition is a continuation of MCIC’s long-standing work on the systematic monitoring of corruption. Research on this topic began in 2014.
The methodology for preparing this report uses various sources of information and combines quantitative and qualitative methods to monitor and assess corruption, including a public survey. The report is divided into seven sections: level of corruption, policies, institutions, judiciary, economy, civil sector, and international cooperation.
This research is part of the project “Civil Society for Good Governance and Anti-Corruption in Southeast Europe: Building Capacities for Evidence-Based Advocacy, Political Influence, and Civic Engagement, supported by the European Union.
The main conclusions of the Report are:
- Increased tolerance and susceptibility to corruption;
- High prices have pushed corruption from the top spot, but it remains among the biggest social challenges;
- Corrupt pressure is increasing while citizens’ resistance is weakening;
- From detection to action: report strengthens the capacities of civil society organizations to monitor electoral integrity;
The Report reveals that corruption remains a persistent challenge in North Macedonia and public perceptions captured in the Report reflect a deep-rooted scepticism toward those in power.
More than three-quarters of respondents identify the pursuit of rapid personal enrichment by political and institutional elites as the primary driver of corruption, followed by concerns over judicial inefficiency, and unresolved structural legacies and weak administrative oversight, reinforcing a broader narrative of systemic fragility.
The report also points to a sharp increase, compared to 2023, in both pressure and involvement in corrupt practices. More than a third of respondents say they have faced pressure to engage in corruption, while nearly one in three report direct involvement.
These findings show that corruption is no longer seen as an isolated problem, but as something many citizens encounter in their everyday lives.
Public resistance to corruption appears to be diminishing. Namely, nearly half of respondents -45% indicate they would be willing to give or accept a bribe under certain circumstances, and this is the highest level recorded since 2014.
Public concern about corruption within the civil service remains high, with 69% of respondents stating that they believe corruption is widespread across all public institutions in the country. Judges and public prosecutors are perceived as the most corrupt professions, followed by police officers and leaders of political parties or coalitions, highlighting deep public distrust in the very institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law and democratic accountability.
The authors of the report frame their conclusions as a call for action rather than a closing assessment, pointing to what they describe as a growing gap between formal anti-corruption commitments and citizens’ everyday experiences with public institutions.
They argue that without consistent enforcement, visible accountability, and sustained political will, the risk is not only that corruption remains entrenched, but that public tolerance continues to rise even further, a dynamic that could ultimately weigh on both domestic reform efforts and the credibility of North Macedonia’s European path.
Comments: The European Commission has consistently placed at the core of the enlargement framework for the Western Balkans the progress in tackling corruption.
While the government has committed to aligning its legal and institutional framework with EU standards, recent Commission’s assessments have pointed to only “limited progress” in translating formal reforms into consistent enforcement and accountability, particularly in cases involving senior officials.
