Less Transparent

Mexico received a grade of 48 (out of 100) in the Latin American Index of Budgetary Transparency, a two-point decline from the previous index in 2007, and a six-point drop from 2005. The grade was based on a survey of experts in each nation. The nation with the highest marks was Costa Rica with 64, followed by Peru with 54. The rest of the nations were lumped together between 42 and 50, with the exception of Venezuela, which scored 23. Some of the areas where Mexico's grade was lowest were citizen participation (5), budgetary changes (21), accountability (18), and control of federal officials (16).