Summary
Fiji has improved its score in the recently released 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index compared to the last two years, regaining its 2021 score of 55/100. Its rank is 50 out of 180 countries, so it sits in the top 30% of countries. Other countries scoring just above or below this score include Spain, Grenada, Cyprus, Italy, Oman, Poland, and Vanuatu at 50. In the Asia-Pacific region Fiji is ranked at ninth out of thirty.
Fiji has been included in the Corruption Perceptions Index since 2021 – for many years prior to that it had not reached the minimum threshold (3) of contributing surveys to the CPI.
The reason why Fiji is not included in more of the 13 total CPI sources is largely due to its population size. As an example, New Zealand is covered by eight, Australia by nine, and Papua New Guinea by six.
Transparency International New Zealand (TINZ) works closely with Integrity Fiji as part of the Transparency International (TI) Pacific programme and has been working with them in their anti-corruption efforts.
Some general comments about Fiji’s 2024 CPI results are:
- There is a slight but positive improvement in Fiji’s score
- In at least one of the assessments that contribute to the CPI there is importance placed on how accountable senior executives and public employees generally are to oversight institutions. The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) has completed a 2024-29 Strategic Plan. Its number and types of investigations and prosecutions of bribery and embezzlement (including cases related to procurement) could be contributing to the improved CPI result. There have also been increased expectations of accountability in election returns including political party funding.
- Also worthy of note is Fiji’s performance since 2021 in the CPI – it has slipped and then recovered. Matters that might affect this could include political parties interfering with opposition activities; judiciary and independent agencies being subject to political influence or interference. Corrupt behaviour by officials may have contributed as well.
- In addition the effectiveness of the FICAC in some corruption areas has been under scrutiny. Public transparency has been supported by the repeal of the Media bill, but public asset disclosures by members of Parliament are not required. Fiji also lacks access to information law and whistleblower protection and is not well set up to have clear information on those who control businesses and trusts operating within its financial system.
Fiji’s CPI Scores and Index Rankings over the last four years
What can be done to further improve Fiji’s score on the Corruption Perceptions Index
- Greater public transparency and focus is needed by FICAC. The Strategy 2024-2029 is a good achievement and FICAC provides up-to-date case summaries on its website. But transparency should also include public reporting by FICAC on progress against each of its Five Key Focus Areas in its Strategy. In addition FICAC should be making its Annual reports publicly available, none has been tabled in parliament for the past four years. Public reporting should include general reporting on FICAC’s corruption impact assessments and on its training and public outreach. Annual reporting is an effective means of conveying transparency around changes in corruption prevention, investigation and prosecution.
- The Code of Conduct Bill should be progressed: the Attorney-General has indicated his support, the bill should proceed without delay, to be in place before the 2026 general election. The government has a constitutional obligation to give effect to Section 149 of the Constitution.
- The government also has a constitutional obligation under Section 150 of the Constitution to put in place legislation that enables Access to Information. The Information Act 2018 only relates to personal information relating to the inquirer, held by public agencies. In order to facilitate accountability and transparency Fiji needs Access to Information legislation that provides public scrutiny of publicly held information.
- The Fiji government should ensure it is fully implementing its commitments under the United Nations Convention against Corruption by progressing the recommendations made in the Phase II report. As an example one of the recommendations was for Guidelines on Managing Conflicts of Interest. It is clear from the FICAC reported cases that this remains an integrity challenge in the civil service.
- As a means to reducing corruption across Fiji, those organisations involved in the prevention of and fight against corruption should work more closely together: the Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption, the Office of the Auditor General, the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Fiji Police Force, the Fijian Elections Office and the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service.
- Several pieces of legislation are not meeting the needs of transparency around who controls companies and trusts. These urgently need updating, including the outdated Registration Act, and the elements of the Companies Act and the Financial Reporting Transactions Act.
- The decline in women’s political representation holds back economic and democratic progress. Looking forward to and preparing for the 2026 national elections, all political parties should actively work on targets increasing the number of women standing for election.
This will be more likely to ensure that women’s rights are more fully integrated in legislation. “Equal rights for women cannot be an afterthought but rather should be an integral component of these new beginnings”
- Legal protection for those who speak up about wrongdoing should be put in place.
Other relevant Transparency International Reports
- The 2021 Corruption Barometer – Pacific, run by Transparency International, via direct public survey, showed that 68% of Fijian’s at that time thought that corruption in government is a big problem, and they were more likely to believe that corruption occurs in parliament, the police, business (especially in companies extracting national resources. Over 67% of Fijians believed that companies use money or connections to secure government contracts either occasionally (40%) or frequently (27%).
- The Barometer also showed that although bribery is not common in Fiji, it is more likely to be paid to get utilities, and to pay police. Despite the occurrence of corruption in Fiji, 83% of Fijian people think that regular people can make a difference in the fight against corruption. This last community response shows a strong desire across Fiji for business, political and government to operate on a foundation of integrity and accountability.
- A 2022 cross-Pacific report by Transparency International New Zealand looked at the interlinkages between corruption and money laundering. It found that Fiji has a generally sound legislative framework in place, but there is not enough mandate nor capacity to refer money laundering cases to the Fiji Police force or target the proceeds of crime. The report also noted some inadequacies in terms of trusts, identifying the person who has the ultimate controlling ownership interests and customer due diligence related to beneficial ownership of life insurance and insurance investment products. It also noted a low awareness by some financial institutions of their anti-money laundering obligations.
Global CPI Theme - Climate Crisis
Transparency International applies a theme to each year’s release of the CPI, and this year the theme is the Climate Crisis
Two of the biggest challenges humanity faces are strongly intertwined: corruption and the climate crisis. Billions of dollars of climate funds intended to help countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and protect vulnerable populations are at risk of theft and misuse. Corruption in the form of undue influence also obstructs policies aimed at solving the climate crisis and leads to environmental damage. Where corruption exists, climate action often fails or does not even take place.
Despite producing less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Fiji faces many challenges as a result of the ongoing climate crisis. This includes rising sea levels, threats to natural water supply, uncertainty around crop production, changes to ocean temperatures generating more competition and habit changes for aquatic species, and damage caused by cyclones.
Rising sea levels have already forced many Fijians to relocate and even leave their village.
“Anti-corruption standards should be a core part of Fijian climate action and policy making. This will improve our country’s ability to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis, and to protect our limited resources against theft, policy capture and other abuse.“ says Jofiliti Veikoso, Chairperson, CLCT Integrity Fiji /Integrity Fiji
Young Fijians have joined cross Pacific youth initiative Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC) to urge the Pacific Island Forum leaders to take up the issue of climate change and human rights with the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The campaign also gained support from 1,700 civil society groups across 130 countries, as well as support from governments around the world. In March 2023, the campaign gained approval from the United Nations General Assembly, recognizing the significant challenge of climate change and requesting the ICJ to provide an advisory opinion on the legal obligations of states in addressing it
This is an example of civil society making a case for climate justice. The aim is to provide vulnerable populations with some "security under international law, clarify country positions, and highlight breaches of country obligations under international law, specifying the necessary remedies".
How does Fiji compare across Pacific Nations and its trading partners
More on the three contributing data sources to the CPI that cover Fiji
Varieties of Democracy The V-Dem corruption index is part of a broader expert survey run by the University of Gothenburg, V-Dem Institute and University of Notre Dame. It includes measures of six distinct types of corruption that cover both different areas and levels of the political realm, distinguishing between executive, legislative and judicial corruption. Within the executive realm the measures also distinguish between corruption mostly pertaining to bribery, and corruption due to embezzlement. The assessment is done by a country expert.
World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA). This is an assessment by World Bank country experts of transparency, accountability and corruption in the public sector. This measures the extent to which senior public employees are held to account for the use of resources, administrative decisions, and results obtained. Both levels of accountability are enhanced by transparency in decision making, public audit institutions, access to relevant and timely information, and public and media scrutiny. A high degree of accountability and transparency discourages corruption, or the abuse of public office for private gain.
Each of three dimensions are rated separately:
(a) accountability of the executive to oversight institutions and of public employees for their performance;
(b) access of civil society to information on public affairs; and
c) state capture by narrow vested interests.
Global Insights Country Risk Rating
IHS Global Insight is a global information company employing more than 5,100 people in more than 30 countries around the world. It provides a wide range of online services covering macroeconomics, country risk and individual sector analysis. The Global Insights Country Risk Rating System has been in operation since 1999 and provides a six-factor analysis of the risk environment in over 200 countries/territories. The six factors are political, economic, legal, tax operational and security risk. The corruption risk ratings assess the broad range of corruption, from petty bribe-paying to higher-level political corruption and the scores assigned to each country are based on a qualitative assessment of corruption in each country/territory.
