This report accompanies the 9th Public Edition of the Basel AML Index. Published annually since 2012, it remains the only independent, research-based index by a non-profit organisation ranking countries according to their risk of money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF).
The Basel AML Index measures the risk of ML/TF in countries around the world. Risk is defined broadly as a country’s vulnerability to ML/TF and its capacities to counter it. It does not measure the actual amount of ML/TF activity in a country.
Risk scores are based on data from publicly available sources such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Transparency International, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum. They cover 16 indicators in five domains relevant to assessing ML/TF risk at the country level:
1. Quality of AML/CFT Framework
2. Bribery and Corruption
3. Financial Transparency and Standards
4. Public Transparency and Accountability
5. Legal and Political Risks
The Basel AML Index ranks countries based on their overall scores, capturing the complex global nature of ML/TF risks and providing useful data for comparative purposes. However, the primary objective is not to rank countries superficially in comparison with each other, but to provide an overall picture of different countries’ and regions’ risk levels and their progress in addressing vulnerabilities over time.
