World Politics 2010: Countries Ranking the Highest and Lowest on the Corruption Perception Index - Updated
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Who is Transparency International?
According to its official website, Transparency International (TI) is a global civil society organization that aims to lead the fight against corruption. To accomplish their aim, Transparency attempts to bring people together in a powerful worldwide coalition to end the adverse and harmful effects of corruption on men, women, and children everywhere on the planet. Founded in 1993, Transparency International worked to improve the lives of multitudes around the world by building momentum for the anti-corruption movement. Among other works, TI publishes the Corruption Perception Index ranking 180 nations around the world in terms of citizens perceptions of whether their officials are corrupt or not.
What is Corruption?
As defined by Transparency International, corruption is "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain."
What is the Corruption Perception Index
According to CountryWatch, Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index "is a composite index which compares countries in terms of the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials. This index indicates the views of national and international business people and analysts about the levels of corruption in each country. The highest (and best) level of transparency is indicated by the number, 1. The lower (and worse) levels of transparency are indicated by higher numbers -- 100 and above."
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20 Highest Ranking Countries in terms of Corruption Perception
2010 update - The 20 highest ranking countries around the world in terms of Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index were
- New Zealand
- Denmark
- Singapore
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Finland
- Netherlands
- Australia
- Canada
- Iceland
- Norway
- Hong Kong
- Luxembourg
- Germany
- Ireland
- Austria
- Japan
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Barbados
As of 2009, The 20 highest ranking countries around the world in terms of Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index were:
- Denmark
- Sweden
- New Zealand
- Singapore
- Finland
- Switzerland
- Iceland
- Netherlands
- Australia
- Canada
- Luxembourg
- Austria
- Hong Kong
- Germany
- Norway
- Ireland
- United Kingdom
- Belgium
- Japan
- United States
20 Lowest Ranking Countries in terms of Corruption Perception
In 2010, The 20 lowest ranking countries around the world in terms of Transparency International's corruption perception were
180. Somalia
179. Afghanistan
178. Myanmar
176. Sudan
176. Iraq
175. Chad
174. Uzbekistan
168. Turkmenistan
168. Iran
168. Haiti
168. Guinea
168. Equatorial Guinea
168. Burundi
162. Venezuela
162. Kyrgyzstan
162. Guinea-Bissau
162. Democratic Republic of Congo
162. Congo Brazzaville
162. Angola
158. Tajikistan
158. Laos
158. Central African Republic
158. Cambodia
In 2009, The 20 lowest ranking countries around the world in terms of Transparency International's corruption perception were:
- Somalia
- Myanmar
- Iraq
- Haiti
- Afghanistan
- Guinea
- Sudan
- Chad
- Equatorial Guinea
- Congo (DRC)
- Zimbabwe
- Uzbekistan
- Turkmenistan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Cambodia
- Azerbijian
- Sierra Leone
- Guinea-Bissau
- Bambia
- Venezuela
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Joe, you are definitely right, corruption does exist on every continent. We only need to look at how Wall Street was handled after the housing crisis to see that corruption is alive and well in the United States as well. Thank you for your comments.
My pleasure Ecoggins and I guess the world needs to get its ass in gear if we want to stop a tiny minority of very wealthy people ruining the world and our lives for the sake of money and power. The banking industry and its associates, along with inept and compliant governments are largely responsible for throwing millions of people out of work and on the streets. Yet the finger of blame is always pointed elsewhere. Sadly the same thing will happen over and over unless enough people stand up and say enough is enough.
Thats it guys, im going to somalia xD
afghanistan is not corruption country it is corrupted by these situation
naqib, thank you for sharing your insight.
The biger the government the more room for corruption.
lisafrequency, you might be right except I lived in a small asian country with a relatively small government and corruption was pervasive in that country. At least the people of that country thought so (as did the UN, IMF, and the World Bank).
Ignorance of laws, reluctance to help the public by the authorities, poverty of people, lack of transparency in administration and lack of accountability by the authorities help corruption thrive. In an educated and enlightened society, there is no need for corruption.
venugopal, you are so right. so we need to strive to establish such educated and enlightened societies. that is why my motto is to promote the best possible life for all everywhere on the planet regardless of race, ethnicity, or social caste.
i think due to the democratic government increasing the curaption
Even though there are many democratic governments that engage in corruption, democratic government in general are less corrupt because they encourage transparency. Dictatorships and totalitarian regimes have little or no transparency allowing them to do what they want to their citizens without repercussions.
what you think about NGOs it is also the reason of increasing curption becaus if you see the list of lowest curepy country most ngo work in these country
mujeeb, thank you again for your comments and opinions. from my experience in a small country with much corruption, most governments dislike NGOs for the opposite reason. These governments tolerate NGOs because they need donor money to help their development and they want to get a good rating by the UN, IMF, and the World Bank. However, these small corrupt governments dislike NGOs because the NGOs call them to account when they act corruptly. The point is in most cases international NGOs help fight against corruption. On the other hand domestic NGOs are often found to engage in corruption.
tll me about the ranking of pakistan india and saudi arab
Corruption is theft, and usually theft from the most vulnerable in society.
Joe might be right about TI having relatively flimsy evidence. I do think they do good work and I tend to trust their findings.
At the very least they keep us all aware of the pervasiveness of corruption and the need to keep on stuggling against it.
Thanks for highlighting this work.
Love and peace
Tony
mujeeb - thank you for the excellent question - Saudi Arabia was tied for 80th out 180 nations, India tied for 85th, and Pakistan tied for 134th.
Tony - thank you for your comments as well. You are right when you say that the point is to help us be aware of what is happening in our countries and the pervasiveness of corruption. There is not one perfect nation on earth. There is not one nation on earth that does not have some level of corruption. No unfortunately all nations on earth have corruption in their governmental affairs. However, some countries have less corruption than most and some have more than the average. That is what TI is trying to convey to us.
There are two sides for corruption.
(1)One is giver, who expects some unusual obligation, after bypassing some rules and regulations. If it is done, he goes silent. If he cant get it, he shouts "corruption". This kind of people are more corrupt than others. They encourage it on one side and slams it on the other side.
(2)The other is receiver. This man first hesitates first to get it. In due course, he is tamed by the public and made to practice corruption. He is not so bad, as he can be corrected at any time.
So, corruption stems from illegal ways of doing things, anxiety to get things done in short period, and middlemen. If they are at check, corruption can be minimised.
To Venugopal Sivagna, thank you again for your input. I appreciate the time you took to comment further on this subject. I suppose it could be said that corruption is a matter of the heart. Most people have a bent towards doing what is necessary to further their own personal interests. Both the giver and the receiver are looking for a way to gain some sort of personal advantage or benefit. As you state, some men (those in power) force others (those without power) to participate in corruption by making them pay bribes. Otherwise they would not receive the service or would not be allowed to bring their goods to market. This process will always continue until one or both of the participants have a change in heart; for it is impossible to change behavior without first changing the beliefs and attitudes in a person's mind and heart.
I often feel insulted and angry when some people say African countries are corrupt. People go to Africa to soil our names. In Britain for instance the giver and the receiver of bribe are guilty. I have seen many people who try corrupt some African Nationals because they work on the premise that all of them are corrupt , No True. In some countries Corruption is referred to as "SLEEZE" or "Greed" When few people in Africa accept few pounds or dollas the world financial system does not collaspe. Some people "horde" 20billion dollas and destroy a whole country financial system and you do not hear/read about it in the papers. It is seen as an achievement. So do not talk to me about corruption
Oscar, thank you for your comment. It is true that not everyone in poor countries is involved in corruption and greed is found in every country of the world. I appreciate your point of view.
where is nigeria?
what about nepal.........................
jake and sandeep sharma, thank you for your inquiries. As of the 2010 update, Nigeria is ranked tied for 130th out of 180 countries and Nepal tied for 143rd.
One word "awearness"
Joe, Have you been following what is developing in Collin County Texas with a special prosecutor appointed to look into the Collin County District Attorney? Truly this is the tip of the iceberg with what the Texas good ol' boys are doing, and continues all the way north to Washington. Keep up your good work, and look forward to your next post!
please tell me on the base of which source of information you have listed these countries as a higher or lower in corruption perception.
Hi Jamil, Than k you for your excellent question Transparency International is the organization that produces the corruption rankings.
Would please tell me the main reason of corruption,in nepal?
kshitiz, it is difficult to say what the main reason for corruption is in anyone particular place in the world. Generally, corruption is caused by entitlement and greed. Some would say corruption is the result of low wages and poverty. For instance police officers and teachers may be underpaid so they may ask for extra fees. Police officers may demand money for driving on a road or doing business in their district. Teachers might require students to pay for extra tutoring before they will pass their students to another grade. Justices may ask for special payments to give a person a favorable judgment. Transparency International did not specify the type or reason of corruption in Nepal, but these are very common practices in many places around the world even some small towns in the United States.
Yes,you are true my friend.This is the main reason...But i guess because of lack of law .It is taking place.But we all hate corruption
what a country new zealand is!!!!!!!
i'm going there......
can you tell me the parameter on which all this data (country name) taken out.
aditya, thank you for the question. The index is formulated by Transparency International and is based on perceptions by business and international business people attempting to do business in that respective country.
can somebody please explain for me what is the difference between CPI and country ranking and what does it mean that Denmark CPI is 9.5 ,however , its country ranking 4 comparing to Switzerland which CPI is 9.1 which is lowest than Denmark ,However ,its Country rank 7 which is highest than Denmark .
Thanks ,
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Joe Badtoe 21 months ago
I would argue that the TI organsiation is basing ther findings on fairly flimsy evidence here in only on the basis that proving the level of corruption is practically impossible. If you begin wit the premise that most governments in power around the world have the potential to be tainted with dishonest politicians then how can one distinguish the best and worst of these?
What are the parameters of corruption? These of course will vary according to a country's wealth and the amount of opportunities to grease the palms of those who have influence.
Power corrupts and the wrong kind of people get the keys to government. Until that changes corruption will always exist on every continent.