In the 2017 Transparency Ranking of 100 Ukrainian cities, the highest scores were received by Lviv (57 out of 100), Kropyvnytskyi (56), Ivano-Frankivsk (54), Kyiv (52), and Mykolaiv (51.5). The lowest scores were recorded in Novomoskovsk (8), Myrnohrad (10), and Dunaivtsi (11). The ranking was based on 91 indicators across thirteen areas. These included financial and budget transparency, public procurement, housing and utilities policy, education, social services, access to information on local government operations, and more. The ranking was developed by the analysts of Transparency International Ukraine and the Institute of Political Education as part of the “Building Transparency in Ukrainian Cities” project. Full results for all 100 cities are available at transparentcities.in.ua.
The most transparent area in Ukrainian cities was Access and Participation, with a transparency level of 46%. This means that in many cities, the public can attend city council committee meetings without needing special permission from council members. Draft council decisions and session agendas are published in advance. Residents can influence how the city budget is spent and submit electronic requests or appeals.
The second most transparent area was Information about Local Government Activities, also at nearly 46%. In many cities, minutes of council presidium meetings are regularly published, as well as public announcements and updates from local authorities. Contact information for local council members is also publicly available.
Personnel matters ranked third, with a transparency level of 45%. This reflects openness in recruitment processes for public positions, gender balance, and related practices.
“Ukraine is currently undergoing a decentralization reform. This process can only succeed if local governments are held accountable. Otherwise, the problems of the central government will simply shift to the local level. Overall, the ranking reveals major issues with transparency at the municipal level—top cities barely score above 50 out of 100. Compared to other countries with similar rankings, these are weak results. For instance, in Slovakia, leading cities score over 70,” commented Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Executive Director of Transparency International Ukraine.
The least transparent areas are housing, municipal enterprises, and social institutions. 65% of cities scored zero in the housing sector. Generally, local communities have no information about housing distribution, there are no online waiting lists for repairs, and it’s unclear how priorities are set for roof, basement, entrance, or yard repairs. In 36 cities, residents are completely uninformed about available social services—for example, what services social institutions offer or how much they cost taxpayers. Often, there is no information on how to apply for material aid or receive local social benefits.
Municipal enterprises also remain largely non-transparent—11 out of 100 cities scored zero in this area.
“This means there is no public access to information on service tariffs or how they are set, no financial reports or audit results, and no information about enterprise leadership. Supervisory boards haven’t been established, and external audits are not conducted,” noted Oleksandr Solontai, the project's lead analyst. He emphasized that almost every city needs to seriously improve its transparency and accountability. Otherwise, growing local budgets may simply fuel corruption. To prevent this, the project team offers concrete indicators and solutions for local authorities.
Transparency International Ukraine and the Institute of Political Education actively support the implementation of transparency and accountability at the local level. After publishing the ranking, the next step will be to train civil society representatives, journalists, and local officials from the top 15 cities on best practices. The project team is open to cooperation with local authorities and ready to provide consultations and recommendations on how to use the transparency assessment tool effectively.