The latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International reveals that corruption levels have stagnated worldwide at a time when human rights and democracy are also under attack.
This is no coincidence. Corruption enables human rights abuses. Conversely, ensuring basic rights and freedoms means there is less space for corruption to go unchallenged.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has opened doors for governments to further expand their executive powers, conceal information from the public and strip away rights. This year’s CPI shows that 154 countries have either declined or made no significant progress in tackling corruption in the last decade and 27 countries have hit historic lows in their score.
The top countries are Denmark (88), Finland (88) and New Zealand (88), all of which also rank in the top 10 per cent in the world on the Democracy Index civil liberties score. The bottom countries are Somalia (13), Syria (13) and South Sudan (11).
