Corruption: the macroeconomic variable that has been overlooked and which invalidates economic and political theory and analysis.

Official documentation published by the United Nations, the European Union and the Eurosystem shows that corruption has acquired a macroeconomic dimension and constitutes the world’s most profitable business.

Given its scale, it is no longer possible to properly analyse economic growth, productivity, public spending or public debt without incorporating corruption as a relevant variable in economic and political analysis

The chart compares the increase in public debt and estimated corruption in the four largest economies of the European Union over a decade. Other official sources indicate that the true scale of corruption may be even greater.