80% of Eastern Europe Witnesses Decline in Governance in the Last Decade:

80% of Eastern Europe Witnesses Decline in Governance in the Last Decade

In eastern Europe, 80% of countries have witnessed a decline on the World Economics Governance Index over the past decade. This reflects worsening scores across data reflecting corruption, rule of law, press freedom and political rights. Only Ukraine and Moldova saw minor increases.

Eastern European Governance Scores 2015-2025
Source: World Economics Governance Index

Country	2015	2017	2019	2021	2023	2025
Russia	30.5	28.7	26.3	25.7	17.7	14.5
Belarus	28.0	31.7	31.2	25.9	20.3	16.3
Ukraine	42.8	47.4	45.7	46.0	42.0	45.9
Hungary	66.1	64.0	60.0	57.8	53.9	56.1
Moldova	53.5	51.9	47.5	49.9	56.5	57.0
Bulgaria	58.5	64.9	64.2	56.1	57.1	57.4
Romania	65.7	69.4	65.2	65.4	63.8	64.3
Poland	81.0	73.1	69.5	67.6	65.5	68.9
Slovenia	78.4	80.1	79.3	76.6	73.5	77.1
Czechia	81.5	80.5	75.5	74.2	77.3	78.5

Country	2015	2020	2025
Russia	30.5	27.5	14.5
Belarus	28.0	31.2	16.3
Ukraine	42.8	47.8	45.9
Hungary	66.1	59.8	56.1
Moldova	53.5	49.3	57.0
Bulgaria	58.5	64.2	57.4
Romania	65.7	65.5	64.3
Poland	81.0	69.7	68.9
Slovenia	78.4	78.7	77.1
Czechia	81.5	75.5	78.5

Source: World Economics Governance Index, 2025

Note: World Economics Governance Index (0 = extremely poor quality to 100 = as good as it gets).
The table uses the UN Statistical Division’s definition of eastern Europe.

Russia’s ranking has, perhaps unsurprisingly, plummeted since the Ukraine war and is now rated E-grade. Its low Governance rating reflects a hostile environment for investors. Since 2022, for example, international companies have lost a total of $170 billion to the Russian authorities. More surprising, perhaps, is the rating fall in Poland which once enjoyed the premium rating of A-grade. Hungary, another post-Soviet, now EU-member, has also seen a marked decline over the past decade.

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