Barometer 2025, 50% of businesses bribe the administration, strong growing trend

2025-12-15 07:27:00, Ekonomi CNA

Bribes paid by businesses to public administration have increased significantly during 2025 according to the latest data from the Balkan Barometer, which shows a deterioration in the perception of businesses in Albania regarding irregular payments, despite the fact that most services are being provided online.

In 2024, about 41% of Albanian businesses said they “tend to agree” or “strongly agree” with the statement that it is common to pay additional payments or gifts to get things done with officials. In 2025, this percentage rises to 50%, with a 9 percentage point increase in just one year in businesses considering bribery as a common practice.

In 2024, a larger proportion of businesses openly expressed “disagree” with this statement, while in 2025 the share of those who “strongly disagree” or “tend to disagree” drops, indicating that resistance to the normalization of bribery is weakening. (see graph below).

The Barometer 2025 survey shows that the perceived climate of corruption in relations between business and administration in Albania has worsened, as more and more businesses see the payment of bribes as a common part of the functioning of the system.

Compared to the region, Albania shows a more pronounced deterioration in bribery from 2024 to 2025. At the regional level, the percentage of businesses that “tend to agree” or “strongly agree” that bribery is common increases from around 41% in 2024 to 47% in 2025, an increase of approximately 6 percentage points. In Albania, this increase is stronger at 9 percentage points.

Bosnia leads the region with 67% of businesses perceiving bribery as a mechanism in dealing with the administration, followed by Montenegro with 59% and Albania with 50%. The lowest level is perceived in Serbia with 30%.

Unlike the region, where the increase in the perception of bribery is accompanied by a more balanced distribution of attitudes, in Albania a stronger shift towards acceptance of this practice is observed.

The sharp increase in the perception of bribery in Albania is also being caused by administrative burdens and regulatory uncertainty. Lengthy procedures, frequent legal changes, and non-unified interpretation of rules create space for informal negotiation, where irregular payments are seen as a way to expedite or secure solutions.

Businesses that operate formally often feel more exposed to inspections and fines, while informality is selectively tolerated./ Monitor