Countries by Firms Making Informal Payments
Complete ranking of 160 countries • % firms • Updated 2026
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About Firms Making Informal Payments Rankings
Zambia leads all 160 countries in Firms Making Informal Payments with a value of 82.97% of firms, while Kuwait ranks last at 0% of firms. The gap between top and bottom reflects meaningful global variation.
What Firms Making Informal Payments Measures
Share of surveyed firms saying firms like theirs give informal payments or gifts to public officials, from World Bank Enterprise Surveys.
Why This Ranking Matters
Examining Firms Making Informal Payments across all countries reveals patterns that might not be obvious at the national level. Regional clusters, outlier nations, and historical trajectories all become clearer when the full global picture is assembled in a single ranking.
Global Range
Values range from 0% of firms (Kuwait) to 82.97% of firms (Zambia) — an infinitely large difference across 160 countries.
Regional Patterns
African countries dominate this ranking, holding 11 of the top 20 positions. This strong regional concentration suggests shared economic, geographic, or policy factors that drive higher values across the continent.
Values are broadly distributed across countries, with the middle 50% ranging from 2.52% of firms to 17.76% of firms. The overall spread from 0% of firms to 82.97% of firms reflects significant global variation.
Notable Outliers
Zambia stands far above the rest, with a value 51% higher than second-place Yemen. This extraordinary lead suggests unique national circumstances — geographic scale, resource endowment, or policy choices — that set it apart from even its closest competitors.
Continental Leaders
Highest Firms Making Informal Payments
The 5 strongest Firms Making Informal Payments reads.
Lowest Firms Making Informal Payments
The 5 lowest Firms Making Informal Payments reads.
Data Note
Rankings are based on the latest available data from World Bank Enterprise Surveys, covering 160 of 249 countries and territories. Countries without data for this metric are excluded from the ranking. All values represent the most recently reported figures.
Top 10 Countries
Country Ladder
1stZambiaAfrica82.97% of firms2ndYemenAsia55.03% of firms3rdIraqAsia50.96% of firms4thCambodiaAsia46.29% of firms5thPapua New GuineaOceania43.37% of firms6thGambiaAfrica42.32% of firms7thMauritaniaAfrica42.08% of firms8thUgandaAfrica40.29% of firms9thKenyaAfrica39.46% of firms10thIndiaAsia39.33% of firms11thCentral African RepublicAfrica34.93% of firms12thMoroccoAfrica34.74% of firms13thEquatorial GuineaAfrica32.82% of firms14thZimbabweAfrica31.14% of firms15thBangladeshAsia30.68% of firms16thIndonesiaAsia29.5% of firms17thNigeriaAfrica29.44% of firms18thKyrgyzstanAsia28.29% of firms19thGabonAfrica28.1% of firms20thVanuatuOceania27.41% of firms21stMozambiqueAfrica26.88% of firms22ndGuinea-BissauAfrica26.74% of firms23rdLaosAsia26.44% of firms24thCongoAfrica26.44% of firms25thCongo, Democratic RepublicAfrica25.91% of firms26thSri LankaAsia25.66% of firms27thVietnamAsia25.51% of firms28thChadAfrica24.81% of firms29thUkraineEurope24.3% of firms30thSierra LeoneAfrica24.14% of firms31stSouth SudanAfrica22.82% of firms32ndGhanaAfrica22.74% of firms33rdBoliviaSouth America22.45% of firms34thCameroonAfrica21.64% of firms35thPakistanAsia21.6% of firms36thCôte d'IvoireAfrica20.84% of firms37thMadagascarAfrica19.48% of firms38thAngolaAfrica19.12% of firms39thNorth MacedoniaEurope18.39% of firms40thBurkina FasoAfrica17.76% of firms41stThailandAsia17.57% of firms42ndTurkmenistanAsia17.21% of firms43rdAlbaniaEurope16.69% of firms44thRussiaEurope16.58% of firms45thMyanmarAsia16.45% of firms46thSomaliaAfrica16.24% of firms47thSao Tome and PrincipeAfrica16.12% of firms48thLiberiaAfrica16.02% of firms49thMalawiAfrica15.94% of firms50thDominican RepublicNorth America15.34% of firms51stSolomon IslandsOceania14.97% of firms52ndPalestineAsia14.48% of firms53rdBurundiAfrica13.17% of firms54thSlovakiaEurope13.05% of firms55thEcuadorSouth America12.84% of firms56thParaguaySouth America12.54% of firms57thKazakhstanAsia12.39% of firms58thDjiboutiAfrica12.09% of firms59thComorosAfrica11.77% of firms60thFranceEurope11.61% of firms61stAfghanistanAsia11.39% of firms62ndLebanonAsia11.28% of firms63rdMaldivesAsia11.17% of firms64thEthiopiaAfrica11.13% of firms65thTongaOceania11.04% of firms66thCzechiaEurope10.88% of firms67thHondurasNorth America10.85% of firms68thIsraelAsia10.3% of firms69thLesothoAfrica10.23% of firms70thMongoliaAsia10.21% of firms71stNicaraguaNorth America10.01% of firms72ndEswatiniAfrica9.7% of firms73rdRwandaAfrica9.4% of firms74thBotswanaAfrica8.6% of firms75thTunisiaAfrica8.6% of firms76thMaliAfrica8.5% of firms77thGuatemalaNorth America8.5% of firms78thSeychellesAfrica8.4% of firms79thJordanAsia8.2% of firms80thBruneiAsia8.2% of firms81stTrinidad and TobagoNorth America7.9% of firms82ndSenegalAfrica7.0% of firms83rdArgentinaSouth America6.8% of firms84thMoldovaEurope6.8% of firms85thTogoAfrica6.7% of firms86thUzbekistanAsia6.7% of firms87thTanzaniaAfrica6.7% of firms88thPolandEurope6.5% of firms89thSerbiaEurope6.4% of firms90thLithuaniaEurope6.3% of firms91stPeruSouth America6.1% of firms92ndAzerbaijanEurope6.0% of firms93rdNamibiaAfrica5.9% of firms94thSudanAfrica5.8% of firms95thTimor-LesteAsia5.7% of firms96thBahrainAsia5.6% of firms97thKiribatiOceania5.5% of firms98thNigerAfrica5.4% of firms99thColombiaNorth America5.4% of firms100thCanadaNorth America5.4% of firms101stBelgiumEurope5.2% of firms102ndBelarusEurope5.1% of firms103rdTajikistanAsia5.0% of firms104thMalaysiaAsia4.9% of firms105thBeninAfrica4.7% of firms106thMontenegroEurope4.7% of firms107thPhilippinesAsia4.5% of firms108thSurinameNorth America4.1% of firms109thMexicoNorth America3.7% of firms110thCroatiaEurope3.6% of firms111stHungaryEurope3.5% of firms112ndNepalAsia3.4% of firms113rdEl SalvadorNorth America3.3% of firms114thCyprusEurope3.2% of firms115thGreeceEurope3.1% of firms116thBarbadosNorth America3.0% of firms117thMaltaEurope2.7% of firms118thNetherlandsEurope2.7% of firms119thGuineaAfrica2.6% of firms120thTurkeyEurope2.5% of firms121stLatviaEurope2.5% of firms122ndGeorgiaEurope2.5% of firms123rdSloveniaEurope2.4% of firms124thFinlandEurope2.3% of firms125thJamaicaNorth America2.3% of firms126thFijiOceania2.3% of firms127thHong KongAsia2.2% of firms128thSaint LuciaNorth America2.2% of firms129thCosta RicaNorth America2.1% of firms130thSamoaOceania2.0% of firms131stRomaniaEurope1.9% of firms132ndBhutanAsia1.8% of firms133rdArmeniaEurope1.7% of firms134thItalyEurope1.6% of firms135thSouth AfricaAfrica1.5% of firms136thGermanyEurope1.5% of firms137thMauritiusAfrica1.5% of firms138thSouth KoreaAsia1.4% of firms139thAustriaEurope1.2% of firms140thPortugalEurope1.1% of firms141stSaudi ArabiaAsia1.0% of firms142ndSingaporeAsia0.98% of firms143rdSpainEurope0.91% of firms144thUruguaySouth America0.88% of firms145thIcelandEurope0.86% of firms146thNew ZealandOceania0.74% of firms147thBulgariaEurope0.72% of firms148thQatarAsia0.68% of firms149thEstoniaEurope0.66% of firms150thDenmarkEurope0.66% of firms151stUnited KingdomEurope0.62% of firms152ndCabo VerdeAfrica0.59% of firms153rdUnited StatesNorth America0.56% of firms154thLuxembourgEurope0.52% of firms155thSwedenEurope0.48% of firms156thEgyptAfrica0.37% of firms157thChinaAsia0.29% of firms158thBosnia and HerzegovinaEurope0.14% of firms159thIrelandEurope0.09% of firms160thKuwaitAsia0% of firms
| Percentile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Zambia | 82.97% of firms | Africa | 100% |
| 2nd | Yemen | 55.03% of firms | Asia | 99% |
| 3rd | Iraq | 50.96% of firms | Asia | 99% |
| 4th | Cambodia | 46.29% of firms | Asia | 98% |
| 5th | Papua New Guinea | 43.37% of firms | Oceania | 98% |
| 6th | Gambia | 42.32% of firms | Africa | 97% |
| 7th | Mauritania | 42.08% of firms | Africa | 96% |
| 8th | Uganda | 40.29% of firms | Africa | 96% |
| 9th | Kenya | 39.46% of firms | Africa | 95% |
| 10th | India | 39.33% of firms | Asia | 94% |
| 11th | Central African Republic | 34.93% of firms | Africa | 94% |
| 12th | Morocco | 34.74% of firms | Africa | 93% |
| 13th | Equatorial Guinea | 32.82% of firms | Africa | 93% |
| 14th | Zimbabwe | 31.14% of firms | Africa | 92% |
| 15th | Bangladesh | 30.68% of firms | Asia | 91% |
| 16th | Indonesia | 29.5% of firms | Asia | 91% |
| 17th | Nigeria | 29.44% of firms | Africa | 90% |
| 18th | Kyrgyzstan | 28.29% of firms | Asia | 89% |
| 19th | Gabon | 28.1% of firms | Africa | 89% |
| 20th | Vanuatu | 27.41% of firms | Oceania | 88% |
| 21st | Mozambique | 26.88% of firms | Africa | 88% |
| 22nd | Guinea-Bissau | 26.74% of firms | Africa | 87% |
| 23rd | Laos | 26.44% of firms | Asia | 86% |
| 24th | Congo | 26.44% of firms | Africa | 86% |
| 25th | Congo, Democratic Republic | 25.91% of firms | Africa | 85% |
| 26th | Sri Lanka | 25.66% of firms | Asia | 84% |
| 27th | Vietnam | 25.51% of firms | Asia | 84% |
| 28th | Chad | 24.81% of firms | Africa | 83% |
| 29th | Ukraine | 24.3% of firms | Europe | 83% |
| 30th | Sierra Leone | 24.14% of firms | Africa | 82% |
| 31st | South Sudan | 22.82% of firms | Africa | 81% |
| 32nd | Ghana | 22.74% of firms | Africa | 81% |
| 33rd | Bolivia | 22.45% of firms | South America | 80% |
| 34th | Cameroon | 21.64% of firms | Africa | 79% |
| 35th | Pakistan | 21.6% of firms | Asia | 79% |
| 36th | Côte d'Ivoire | 20.84% of firms | Africa | 78% |
| 37th | Madagascar | 19.48% of firms | Africa | 78% |
| 38th | Angola | 19.12% of firms | Africa | 77% |
| 39th | North Macedonia | 18.39% of firms | Europe | 76% |
| 40th | Burkina Faso | 17.76% of firms | Africa | 76% |
| 41st | Thailand | 17.57% of firms | Asia | 75% |
| 42nd | Turkmenistan | 17.21% of firms | Asia | 74% |
| 43rd | Albania | 16.69% of firms | Europe | 74% |
| 44th | Russia | 16.58% of firms | Europe | 73% |
| 45th | Myanmar | 16.45% of firms | Asia | 73% |
| 46th | Somalia | 16.24% of firms | Africa | 72% |
| 47th | Sao Tome and Principe | 16.12% of firms | Africa | 71% |
| 48th | Liberia | 16.02% of firms | Africa | 71% |
| 49th | Malawi | 15.94% of firms | Africa | 70% |
| 50th | Dominican Republic | 15.34% of firms | North America | 69% |
| 51st | Solomon Islands | 14.97% of firms | Oceania | 69% |
| 52nd | Palestine | 14.48% of firms | Asia | 68% |
| 53rd | Burundi | 13.17% of firms | Africa | 68% |
| 54th | Slovakia | 13.05% of firms | Europe | 67% |
| 55th | Ecuador | 12.84% of firms | South America | 66% |
| 56th | Paraguay | 12.54% of firms | South America | 66% |
| 57th | Kazakhstan | 12.39% of firms | Asia | 65% |
| 58th | Djibouti | 12.09% of firms | Africa | 64% |
| 59th | Comoros | 11.77% of firms | Africa | 64% |
| 60th | France | 11.61% of firms | Europe | 63% |
| 61st | Afghanistan | 11.39% of firms | Asia | 63% |
| 62nd | Lebanon | 11.28% of firms | Asia | 62% |
| 63rd | Maldives | 11.17% of firms | Asia | 61% |
| 64th | Ethiopia | 11.13% of firms | Africa | 61% |
| 65th | Tonga | 11.04% of firms | Oceania | 60% |
| 66th | Czechia | 10.88% of firms | Europe | 59% |
| 67th | Honduras | 10.85% of firms | North America | 59% |
| 68th | Israel | 10.3% of firms | Asia | 58% |
| 69th | Lesotho | 10.23% of firms | Africa | 57% |
| 70th | Mongolia | 10.21% of firms | Asia | 57% |
| 71st | Nicaragua | 10.01% of firms | North America | 56% |
| 72nd | Eswatini | 9.7% of firms | Africa | 56% |
| 73rd | Rwanda | 9.4% of firms | Africa | 55% |
| 74th | Botswana | 8.6% of firms | Africa | 54% |
| 75th | Tunisia | 8.6% of firms | Africa | 54% |
| 76th | Mali | 8.5% of firms | Africa | 53% |
| 77th | Guatemala | 8.5% of firms | North America | 53% |
| 78th | Seychelles | 8.4% of firms | Africa | 52% |
| 79th | Jordan | 8.2% of firms | Asia | 51% |
| 80th | Brunei | 8.2% of firms | Asia | 51% |
| 81st | Trinidad and Tobago | 7.9% of firms | North America | 50% |
| 82nd | Senegal | 7.0% of firms | Africa | 49% |
| 83rd | Argentina | 6.8% of firms | South America | 49% |
| 84th | Moldova | 6.8% of firms | Europe | 48% |
| 85th | Togo | 6.7% of firms | Africa | 48% |
| 86th | Uzbekistan | 6.7% of firms | Asia | 47% |
| 87th | Tanzania | 6.7% of firms | Africa | 46% |
| 88th | Poland | 6.5% of firms | Europe | 46% |
| 89th | Serbia | 6.4% of firms | Europe | 45% |
| 90th | Lithuania | 6.3% of firms | Europe | 44% |
| 91st | Peru | 6.1% of firms | South America | 44% |
| 92nd | Azerbaijan | 6.0% of firms | Europe | 43% |
| 93rd | Namibia | 5.9% of firms | Africa | 43% |
| 94th | Sudan | 5.8% of firms | Africa | 42% |
| 95th | Timor-Leste | 5.7% of firms | Asia | 41% |
| 96th | Bahrain | 5.6% of firms | Asia | 41% |
| 97th | Kiribati | 5.5% of firms | Oceania | 40% |
| 98th | Niger | 5.4% of firms | Africa | 39% |
| 99th | Colombia | 5.4% of firms | North America | 39% |
| 100th | Canada | 5.4% of firms | North America | 38% |
| 101st | Belgium | 5.2% of firms | Europe | 38% |
| 102nd | Belarus | 5.1% of firms | Europe | 37% |
| 103rd | Tajikistan | 5.0% of firms | Asia | 36% |
| 104th | Malaysia | 4.9% of firms | Asia | 36% |
| 105th | Benin | 4.7% of firms | Africa | 35% |
| 106th | Montenegro | 4.7% of firms | Europe | 34% |
| 107th | Philippines | 4.5% of firms | Asia | 34% |
| 108th | Suriname | 4.1% of firms | North America | 33% |
| 109th | Mexico | 3.7% of firms | North America | 33% |
| 110th | Croatia | 3.6% of firms | Europe | 32% |
| 111st | Hungary | 3.5% of firms | Europe | 31% |
| 112nd | Nepal | 3.4% of firms | Asia | 31% |
| 113rd | El Salvador | 3.3% of firms | North America | 30% |
| 114th | Cyprus | 3.2% of firms | Europe | 29% |
| 115th | Greece | 3.1% of firms | Europe | 29% |
| 116th | Barbados | 3.0% of firms | North America | 28% |
| 117th | Malta | 2.7% of firms | Europe | 28% |
| 118th | Netherlands | 2.7% of firms | Europe | 27% |
| 119th | Guinea | 2.6% of firms | Africa | 26% |
| 120th | Turkey | 2.5% of firms | Europe | 26% |
| 121st | Latvia | 2.5% of firms | Europe | 25% |
| 122nd | Georgia | 2.5% of firms | Europe | 24% |
| 123rd | Slovenia | 2.4% of firms | Europe | 24% |
| 124th | Finland | 2.3% of firms | Europe | 23% |
| 125th | Jamaica | 2.3% of firms | North America | 23% |
| 126th | Fiji | 2.3% of firms | Oceania | 22% |
| 127th | Hong Kong | 2.2% of firms | Asia | 21% |
| 128th | Saint Lucia | 2.2% of firms | North America | 21% |
| 129th | Costa Rica | 2.1% of firms | North America | 20% |
| 130th | Samoa | 2.0% of firms | Oceania | 19% |
| 131st | Romania | 1.9% of firms | Europe | 19% |
| 132nd | Bhutan | 1.8% of firms | Asia | 18% |
| 133rd | Armenia | 1.7% of firms | Europe | 18% |
| 134th | Italy | 1.6% of firms | Europe | 17% |
| 135th | South Africa | 1.5% of firms | Africa | 16% |
| 136th | Germany | 1.5% of firms | Europe | 16% |
| 137th | Mauritius | 1.5% of firms | Africa | 15% |
| 138th | South Korea | 1.4% of firms | Asia | 14% |
| 139th | Austria | 1.2% of firms | Europe | 14% |
| 140th | Portugal | 1.1% of firms | Europe | 13% |
| 141st | Saudi Arabia | 1.0% of firms | Asia | 13% |
| 142nd | Singapore | 0.98% of firms | Asia | 12% |
| 143rd | Spain | 0.91% of firms | Europe | 11% |
| 144th | Uruguay | 0.88% of firms | South America | 11% |
| 145th | Iceland | 0.86% of firms | Europe | 10% |
| 146th | New Zealand | 0.74% of firms | Oceania | 9% |
| 147th | Bulgaria | 0.72% of firms | Europe | 9% |
| 148th | Qatar | 0.68% of firms | Asia | 8% |
| 149th | Estonia | 0.66% of firms | Europe | 8% |
| 150th | Denmark | 0.66% of firms | Europe | 7% |
| 151st | United Kingdom | 0.62% of firms | Europe | 6% |
| 152nd | Cabo Verde | 0.59% of firms | Africa | 6% |
| 153rd | United States | 0.56% of firms | North America | 5% |
| 154th | Luxembourg | 0.52% of firms | Europe | 4% |
| 155th | Sweden | 0.48% of firms | Europe | 4% |
| 156th | Egypt | 0.37% of firms | Africa | 3% |
| 157th | China | 0.29% of firms | Asia | 3% |
| 158th | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.14% of firms | Europe | 2% |
| 159th | Ireland | 0.09% of firms | Europe | 1% |
| 160th | Kuwait | 0% of firms | Asia | 1% |