How the world's largest economies are combatting international corruption
By Kathleen ROUSSEL, Chair, OECD Working Group on Bribery; Julia FROMHOLZ: Head of the Anti-Corruption Division, OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs
PARIS, 26 Feb. - (ANA) - New OECD data show that enforcement of anti-bribery laws across Parties to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention has continued steadily since 1999 but is uneven across countries. Persistent gaps underscore the need for decisive government leadership to safeguard fair competition, trust in markets and the rule of law.
Amid mounting pressure on the rule of law worldwide, national data recently collected by the OECD Working Group on Bribery provides a snapshot of how governments have been enforcing anti-bribery laws, since 1999 through 2024.
As the custodian of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, the Working Group monitors members’ efforts to combat bribery of foreign public officials, which undermines fair competition and weakens trust in global markets. As the only international legal instrument that targets the global dimension of corruption by disrupting the cross-border flows of money that sustain it, the Convention seeks to promote a fair and level playing field for all companies around the world. Established in 1999 with 18 signatories, it is now composed of all 38 OECD countries and 9 non-OECD countries – Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Peru, Romania, Russia1, and South Africa. Ukraine became a member of the Working Group in December 2025 and is in the process of acceding to the Convention. Together, these 47 countries are responsible for over two-thirds of world exports and almost 90% of total foreign direct investment outflows.
What the data tell us: Enforcement of anti-bribery laws is steady, but uneven
More than a quarter century after governments committed to criminalising foreign bribery under the Convention, the latest data present a picture that calls for decisive resolve and prioritisation.
1. Since 1999, foreign bribery enforcement across the 46 Parties to the Convention has continued steadily.
By the end of 2024, Parties had collectively sanctioned or convicted at least 752 individuals and 315 companies for foreign bribery through criminal proceedings, alongside 201 additional sanctions imposed through administrative and civil processes. In some respects, including enforcement of related offences such as false accounting and money laundering linked to foreign bribery, enforcement has picked up. From 1999 to 2021, Parties had collectively convicted or sanctioned at least 76 individuals and 109 companies for these related offences through criminal proceedings; by 2024, those figures had increased to at least 96 individuals and 128 companies.
2. Beyond overall trends, enforcement remains uneven across Parties.
Sixteen Parties to the Convention have yet to report a single conviction or sanction – criminal, administrative or civil – for foreign bribery. Such gaps underline the importance of strengthened efforts toward consistent implementation of the Convention.
3. Much of the increase since the last data release in 2021 is attributable to enforcement against companies.
This trend suggests wider use of non-trial resolutions, including deferred- and non-prosecution agreements, which have become an established feature of enforcement practice in several jurisdictions. The data suggest these tools are contributing to enforcement outcomes where traditional trials may face practical or procedural constraints.
4. Criminal investigations reported by Parties appear to have matured into proceedings since 2021.
By the end of 2024, the number of ongoing investigations remained broadly flat, while the number of ongoing criminal proceedings increased. This suggests movement in the enforcement pipeline, but not acceleration.
5. Despite a cumulative increase in sanctions, the annual rate at which new criminal sanctions are applied against individuals has slowed.
From roughly 30 additional sanctions per year between 1999 and 2021, that figure declined to around 22 per year between 2022 and 2024. This points to the need for increased attention to sustaining enforcement momentum over time.
What this means for the future: Adapting enforcement to a changing global context
Foreign bribery enforcement takes place in an increasingly challenging global environment. Political pressures on the rule of law, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions are reshaping how governments operate and co-operate. Foreign bribery cases are also inherently complex to investigate and prosecute, involving sophisticated corporate structures, cross-border transactions and multi-jurisdictional evidence.
Against this backdrop, ensuring that bribery of foreign public officials is not treated as an acceptable cost of doing business is essential to preserving a fair and level playing field for companies worldwide. Effective enforcement of anti-bribery laws is not only about accountability; it underpins trust in markets, supports fair competition and reinforces confidence in the rule of law.
The OECD Working Group on Bribery’s central role in advancing the fight against transnational corruption is thus critical to larger efforts to ensure fair markets are supported by fair legal systems. Through its system of mandatory country evaluations, the Working Group monitors enforcement efforts, assesses progress, identifies weaknesses and delivers tailored recommendations to drive reforms.
No country can veto the findings of its evaluations, and all reports are made public. The Working Group also seeks to maximise the Convention’s global reach by encouraging participation from all major economies. Recent developments, including Ukraine becoming a member of the Working Group, and formal Convention accession requests from Indonesia, Mauritius and Thailand in 2025, reflect growing recognition of the importance of shared standards in combating foreign bribery.
Crucially, the Working Group does not operate in isolation: it uses its convening power to bring together governments, business and civil society to exchange experiences and address emerging risks, notably through fora such as the OECD Global Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum.
The enforcement data released today underscores that much work remains to be done. Significant gaps persist and progress is uneven across countries. Responsibility for closing these gaps rests first and foremost with governments, which must accelerate enforcement and commit the political attention and resources needed to fight foreign bribery effectively.
Business has a strong and growing stake in this effort, as the rise in corporate liability enforcement sharpens incentives for companies to engage with governments and strengthen compliance. Civil society, meanwhile, plays an important role in promoting transparency and holding authorities to account.
These roles converge in shared spaces for dialogue and engagement, including the March 2026 OECD Global Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum and the Working Group on Bribery’s June 2026 multistakeholder public consultation. Building momentum in the fight against foreign bribery will ultimately depend on decisive government leadership, with the private sector and civil society playing meaningful and complementary roles.
