Amid historic levels of crippling global debt, the Open Budget Survey finds that countries are not sufficiently transparent and accountable about how they are managing their debt or spending on important social sectors, like health, sanitation and other services.

“Despite modest gains in this latest Open Budget Survey round, governments are not providing enough information and opportunities for engagement on how they are managing debt and executing budgets in later stages of the budget process. These are two key areas that impact whether governments can effectively deliver reliable, quality healthcare, sanitation, and other public services,” said Austin Ndiokwelu, Director of Policy and Global Advocacy at the International Budget Partnership.

This latest round of the survey found a modest one-point increase in global budget transparency scores compared to the previous round. Nevertheless, regional trends show two stories—one of sustained progress and one of downward peril. (Press Release)