Uruguay ratified its status as the most solid democracy in Latin America by scoring 73 out of 100 in the Corruption Perceptions Index (IPC) 2025, published this Tuesday by the organization Transparency International. The report placed the South American country, along with Canada (75) and Barbados (68), at the top of the regional table, consolidating its position as one of the least corruption-affected democracies on the continent. However, the organization warns that even these 'best-performing' nations are not immune to the effects of organized crime, noting that Uruguay also suffers from violence fueled by corruption. The regional counsel for Latin America and the Caribbean at Transparency International, Luciana Torchiano, stated that sustained governmental inaction across most of the continent has allowed criminal networks to advance, eroding democratic institutions. In this context, the Uruguayan case, while positive comparatively, shows 'worrying setbacks' and limited growth in its transparency indicators, a phenomenon replicated in other consolidated democracies. Thus, while neighboring countries like Brazil (35) and Argentina (36) presented scores reflecting serious institutional challenges, Uruguay managed to maintain high standards. Compared to the previous report, Uruguay experienced a three-point decline, falling from the 76 points that earned it 13th place worldwide to the current score of 73, which ranks it 17th. Despite this drop, the South American country remains above the 70-point threshold, a barrier it has not crossed since 2012. In line with alerts on regional security, combating these criminal networks was precisely one of the central axes of the last Mercosur Summit held in Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) last December. There, the presidents of the South American bloc highlighted the creation of the Mercosur Strategy Commission against Transnational Organized Crime to articulate a joint response to a threat that crosses borders. On the other hand, an analysis by the Center for Economic and Social Studies (Ceres) released in December warned that the South American nation is 'besieged by organized crime' and pointed to the crisis of the penitentiary system as a determining factor in this issue, recalling that Uruguay has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, with 475 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants. To counter these risks, Transparency International recommends that regional governments prioritize the fight against corruption, strengthening the independence of the judiciary and protecting civic space, key elements to prevent illicit money from penetrating state structures.
