Denmark is on top of the list of least corrupt countries just like last year, with a score of 90/100. Second is Finland at 88, followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Luxembourg and Norway at 81, followed by Switzerland and Sweden (80).
Iceland is one place up from last years 11 at number 10 with a score of 77. World Economics has converted the ranking data into an index on the scale from 0-100 where 0 is absolute corruption and 100 is no perception of government corruption.
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index that scores and ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as assessed by experts and business executives. The index is published annually by the non-governmental organisation Transparency International since 1995.
What is corruption? Corruption, according to UNODC, is a “fluid and evolving concept, signifying different things to different people.” One way or another, it affects all parts of the world. It encompasses a huge range of activities including the misuse of public power, office or authority for private benefit, through bribery, extortion, influence peddling, nepotism, fraud or embezzlement.
Billions of people live in corrupt countries
While 32 countries have significantly reduced their corruption levels since 2012, there’s still a huge amount of work to be done – 148 countries have stayed stagnant or gotten worse during the same period. The global average of 43 has also stood still for years, while over two-thirds of countries score below 50. Billions of people live in countries where corruption destroys lives and undermines human rights.
On 31 October 2003, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and requested that the Secretary-General designate the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as the secretariat for the Convention’s Conference of States Parties (resolution 58/4). Since then, 190 parties have committed to the Convention’s anti-corruption obligations, showing near-universal recognition of the importance of good governance, accountability, and political commitment.
The Assembly also designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it.