Corruption as an economic phenomenon negatively affects the economy, which means that with the increased presence of corruption it is more difficult to achieve good and desirable economic results. Some of the most negative effects are: lower GDP, increased poverty, increased gray economy, reduced budget revenues, inefficiency, unfair distribution, inefficient economic policies, decline in competitiveness, and the like. In order to monitor and reduce corruption, there are institutions responsible for combating corruption, and Transparency International, which publishes data and the state of the world every year, is best known. In this paper other important theses are: crime and how it is defined, bribe and corruption, receiving and giving the bribe and index of perception of corruption. The emphasis is on the state of corruption in the Republic of Croatia, the perception of Croatian citizens about corruption, the criminal offense of receiving and bribing a bribe and how it has been statistically moving through the years.