New Delhi: A list of the most and least corrupt countries was released on Tuesday by Transparency International, known as 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), showing that most countries have made little to no progress in tackling public corruption. The report highlights serious corruption problems as more than two thirds of countries have scored below 50 out of 100 (very clean).
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The report highlighted that authoritarian regimes and democratic leaders undermining justice contribute to increasing impunity for corruption and even encourage it by removing consequences for wrongdoers in some cases.
"Corruption will continue to thrive until justice systems can punish wrongdoing and keep governments in check. When justice is bought or politically interfered with, it is the people who suffer. Leaders should fully invest in and guarantee the independence of institutions that uphold the law and tackle corruption. It is time to end impunity for corruption," said François Valérian, Chair of Transparency International.
World's least corrupt countries
Denmark topped the chart for the sixth consecutive year with a score of 90, when Finland and New Zealand ranked followed suit with scores of 87 and 85 respectively. Due to well-functioning justice systems, these countries are also among the top scorers in the Rule of Law Index, said Transparency International.
Norway (84), Singapore (83), Sweden (82), Switzerland (82), the Netherlands (79) and Germany (78) were some of the least corruption countries in the world, as specified by the index. Some high-ranking democracies like Iceland (72), the Netherlands (79), Sweden (82) and the United Kingdom (71) slipped into historic lows this year.
World's most corrupt countries
The bottommost spots of the Corruption Perceptions Index were occupied by Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13), South Sudan (13), Yemen (16) and North Korea (17). Most of these countries are affected by protracted crises, particularly armed conflicts.
Authoritarian states like Iran (24), Russia (26), Tajikistan (20) and Venezuela reached historic lows, while low and middle-income countries like El Salvador, Honduras, Liberia, Myanmar, Nicaragua and Sri Lanka significantly declined on their scores since 2018. The report highlighted that Russia’s war against Ukraine (36) posed immense challenges to its governance and infrastructure, increasing corruption risks.
In Africa, instances of corruption and associated issues within justice systems vary, encompassing reports of bribery, extortion and political meddling in justice systems in countries such as Nigeria (25).
India's rank in Corruption Perceptions Index
India ranked 93 in the 2023 index with a score of 39 out of 100, dropping eight ranks from 2022. India's overall score was 40 in 2022 and ranked 85. India shows score fluctuations small enough that no firm conclusions can be drawn on any significant change, according to the report.
Pakistan ranked 133 on the index, with a score of 29, while Sri Lanka ranked 115 with a score of 34. China's rank was 76 on the CPI 2023 with a score of 42.
The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index was based on perceptions of public sector corruption and used data from 13 external sources, including the World Bank, World Economic Forum, private risk and consulting companies, think tanks and others.
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