World's most corrupt countries ranked in one map
Nowhere on earth is deemed as totally free of corruption
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Be it rigged elections, bribery, or counterfeit medicines trickling into hospitals, this map shows how widespread backroom deals are across the world.
The majority of the map, which has been created by Statista, is coloured in a concerning reddish hue denoting a high level of corruption, with Somalia and North Korea topping the list - scoring eight out of a potential perfect score of 100.
Denmark, New Zealand, Finland and Sweden meanwhile scored the best in the research compiled by the non-governmental organisation Transparency International.
However, no countries scored a perfect 100, or “very clean”, or a “highly corrupt” zero in its most recent Corruptions Perceptions Index.
The researchers flagged Australia as a particularly concerning country. Despite being represented by a relatively healthy-looking yellow colour on the map, the country has continued its slide down the list, and fallen out of the top ten to 11.
The 20 'least corrupt' countries in the world
1 Denmark 92
2 New Zealand 91
3 Finland 89
4 Sweden 87
5 Norway 86
5 Switzerland 86
7 Singapore 84
8 Netherlands 83
9 Luxembourg 82
10 Canada 81
11 Australia 80
12 Germany 79
12 Iceland 79
14 United Kingdom 78
15 Belgium 76
15 Japan 76
17 Barbados 74
17 Hong Kong 74
17 Ireland 74
17 United States 74
Experts cited note-printing scandals and corruption investigations for its relatively poor performance.
Other countries with a worryingly red representation on the map include the expanding economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey.
Jose Ugaz, the chair of Transparency International, explained in a release with the report: “Fast-growing economies whose governments refuse to be transparent and tolerate corruption, create a culture of impunity in which corruption thrives.”
The UK, meanwhile, placed at 14: a result regarded as disappointing by researchers, who said the it should be in the top 10.
Meanwhile, the destabilising impact of bloody conflicts and violence was made clear in the low rankings of Sudan, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Iraq, which followed Somalia and North Korea.
The 20 'most corrupt' countries in the world
156 Cambodia 21
156 Myanmar 21
156 Zimbabwe 21
159 Burundi 20
159 Syria 20
161 Angola 19
161 Guinea-Bissau 19
161 Haiti 19
161 Venezuela 19
161 Yemen 19
166 Eritrea 18
166 Libya 18
166 Uzbekistan 18
169 Turkmenistan 17
170 Iraq 16
171 South Sudan 15
172 Afghanistan 12
173 Sudan 11
174 Korea (North)8
174 Somalia 8
However Afghanistan was also among the nations praised for making great improvements, rising by five points since 2013, alongside Jordan, Mali and Swaziland rising by four.
Côte d´Ivoire, Egypt, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, also rose by five points.
“Bribes and backroom deals don’t just steal resources from the most vulnerable – they undermine justice and economic development, and destroy public trust in government and leaders,” the body warned.
Transparency International has launched a campaign called Unmask the Corrupt, and has called on other nations and bodies to follow Denmark’s example.
The European Union, United States and G20 countries must create public registers that documents those behind bodies, making it more difficulty for criminals to pose behind other names, according to campaigners.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments