Rising Global Corruption

“A new study estimates that Paraguay’s illegal economy was equal to 40 percent of the country’s GDP last year, a huge number that points to how pervasive a wide range of illicit activities are in this Southern Cone nation.” This number has quadrupled since 2002 in a nation usually considered low in corruption when compared to its Latin American neighbors, Colombia and Mexico (Latin American Post, December 6, 2016). “The study also concluded that the state lost $1.1 billion in revenue last year due to untaxed goods and services. Pro Desarrollo says that this loss is due to the combination of large corruption or criminal schemes and the sum of many small-scale informal or illegal transactions. The authors point to a general acceptance and normalization of these small-scale fraud operations” (ibid.). Transparency International, a global anticorruption organization, estimates that more than six billion people currently live in nations with serious corruption problems, Paraguay is just one of over 100 nations that fit this category.

Bible prophecies indicate the last days will be rife with corruption and greed (2 Timothy 3:1-5). However, the Bible also reveals a future time when corruption will disappear, as godly leaders rule with justice and according to the law of God (Isaiah 2:3-4; 11:4, 9). God promises that “He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces the oppressor” (Psalm 72:4). For more insight into this vision of a godly society without corruption, watch our exciting program “After Christ’s Return?”