THE LATEST CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX (CPI) RELEASED BY TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL REVEALS THAT 124 COUNTRIES HAVE STAGNATED CORRUPTION LEVELS, WHILE THE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES IN DECLINE IS INCREASING.
The COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and growing security threats across the globe are fuelling a new wave of uncertainty. In an already unstable world, countries failing to address their corruption problems worsen the effects.
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.
Countries with strong institutions and well-functioning democracies often find themselves at the top of the Index. Denmark heads the ranking, with a score of 90. Finland and New Zealand follow closely with a score of 87. Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and Luxembourg complete the top 10 this year.
On the flip side, countries experiencing conflict or where basic personal and political freedoms are highly restricted tend to earn the lowest marks. This year, Somalia, Syria, and South Sudan are at the bottom of the index. Venezuela, Yemen, Libya, North Korea, Haiti, Equatorial Guinea and Burundi are also in the bottom 10.
