One in six persons in the Western Balkans paid bribes at least once over the course of the past year, and Serbian citizens are facing the problem of corruption somewhat less frequently than the majority of people in the region, states a research published on Tuesday.

The research into the experiences of the Western Balkan population with respect to corruption was carried out by UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC) in cooperation with the European Commišion, and it also contains data for Kosovo-Metohija as a separate entity.

The average percentage of Western Balkan citizens who paid bribes to a public official over the past year totals 12.5, with the average bribe at EUR 257. In Serbia, 9.3 per cent of citizens paid bribes over the course of last year, while the average bribe amounted to EUR 349.

The highest percentage of corruption cases was recorded in Bosnia-Herzegovina (20.7 per cent), followed by Albania (19.3 per cent), Croatia (11.2 per cent), Kosovo (11.1 per cent), Montenegro (9.7 per cent) and Macedonia (6.2 per cent).

Highest bribes are recorded in Macedonia, with the average bribe at EUR 1.212, followed by Montenegro (EUR 470), Croatia (EUR 410), Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUR 222), Kosovo (EUR 174) and Albanian (EUR 103).