Transparency International: The Global Coalition Against Corruption has released its annual report on the levels of corruption worldwide. The Corruption Perceptions Index was first launched in 1995 to assess corruption internationally and send a powerful message to governments in hopes that they will address the issues.
Each year, the index ranks how corrupt a country is based on their public sectors. Whilst the index claims not to be able to capture the frustration of the effects of a country's corruption on its citizens, it does hope to inform analysts, businessmen and experts in the country as well as worldwide.
Whilst no country gets the perfect score, in 2016, the index looked at 176 countries and found that the average score was a meagre 43 out of 100. Over two-thirds of all the countries and territories fall below the midpoint on the scale ranging from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Top scoring countries are indicated in yellow on the map whilst corrupt countries get a darker shade of red. It is evident from a glance at the map that low-corruption countries are seriously outnumbered by countries where citizens face the impact of corruption every day.
The Netherlands made it to eighth place scoring 83 out of 100. Interestingly, the Netherlands did better than its neighbours Germany, which made 10th place, and Belgium, which came in at number 15.
Denmark and New Zealand share the top spot, both scoring 90 out of 100. Based on their score, these counties enjoy significant freedom of press, they have access to information about government spending, an independent judicial system, and strive to keep the integrity of their country intact.
Here are the top ten least corrupt countries out of the 176 that were assessed:
› 1. Denmark and New Zealand
› 3. Finland
› 4. Sweden
› 5. Switzerland
› 6. Norway
› 7. Singapore
› 8. The Netherlands
› 9. Canada
› 10. Germany, Luxembourg, and United Kingdom
Corruption affects all countries, directly or indirectly. Many of the low ranking countries for example, face frequent situations of bribery and extortion with an uneven distribution of funds, whereas higher scoring countries may have less obvious traits in the daily lives of its citizens, yet still stuffer from for example, illicit finance, and dodgy law enforcements. Find out where your country ranks.
"We do not have the luxury of time," says Ugaz, the Chair of International Transparency. "Corruption needs to be fought with urgency, so that the lives of people across the world improve."