Corruption, country by country

[Vince Noir]

Corruption, country by country - The Guardian

How endemic is corruption around the world - and where does it flourish?


Transparency International's 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is the world's most credible measure of of domestic, public sector corruption. Figures released today show that public corruption in Afghanistan has worsened over the past two years and is now more rampant than in any country apart from Somalia. Afghanistan has sunk for the second straight year in this ranking of 180 nations based on perceived levels of corruption in the public sector.

Corruption Index Table

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

2009 rank

Country/Territory

CPI 2009 Score

CPI 2008 score

1
New Zealand
9.4
9.3
2
Denmark
9.3
9.3
3
Singapore
9.2
9.2
3
Sweden
9.2
9.3
5
Switzerland
9
9
6
Finland
8.9
9
6
Netherlands
8.9
8.9
8
Australia
8.7
8.7
8
Canada
8.7
8.7
8
Iceland
8.7
8.9
11
Norway
8.6
7.9
12
Hong Kong
8.2
8.1
12
Luxembourg
8.2
8.3
14
Germany
8
7.9
14
Ireland
8
7.7
16
Austria
7.9
8.1
17
Japan
7.7
7.3
17
United Kingdom
7.7
7.7
19
United States
7.5
7.3
20
Barbados
7.4
7
21
Belgium
7.1
7.3
22
Qatar
7
6.5
22
Saint Lucia
7
7.1
24
France
6.9
6.9
25
Chile
6.7
6.9
25
Uruguay
6.7
6.9
27
Cyprus
6.6
6.4
27
Estonia
6.6
6.6
27
Slovenia
6.6
6.7
30
United Arab Emirates
6.5
5.9
31
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
6.4
6.5
32
Israel
6.1
6
32
Spain
6.1
6.5
34
Dominica
5.9
6
35
Portugal
5.8
6.1
35
Puerto Rico
5.8
5.8
37
Botswana
5.6
5.8
37
Taiwan
5.6
5.7
39
Brunei Darussalam
5.5

39
Oman
5.5
5.5
39
Korea (South)
5.5
5.6
42
Mauritius
5.4
5.5
43
Costa Rica
5.3
5.1
43
Macau
5.3
5.4
45
Malta
5.2
5.8
46
Bahrain
5.1
5.4
46
Cape Verde
5.1
5.1
46
Hungary
5.1
5.1
49
Bhutan
5
5.2
49
Jordan
5
5.1
49
Poland
5
4.6
52
Czech Republic
4.9
5.2
52
Lithuania
4.9
4.6
54
Seychelles
4.8
4.8
55
South Africa
4.7
4.9
56
Latvia
4.5
5
56
Malaysia
4.5
5.1
56
Namibia
4.5
4.5
56
Samoa
4.5
4.4
56
Slovakia
4.5
5
61
Cuba
4.4
4.3
61
Turkey
4.4
4.6
63
Italy
4.3
4.8
63
Saudi Arabia
4.3
3.5
65
Tunisia
4.2
4.4
66
Croatia
4.1
4.4
66
Georgia
4.1
3.9
66
Kuwait
4.1
4.3
69
Ghana
3.9
3.9
69
Montenegro
3.9
3.4
71
Bulgaria
3.8
3.6
71
Macedonia
3.8
3.6
71
Greece
3.8
4.7
71
Romania
3.8
3.8
75
Brazil
3.7
3.5
75
Colombia
3.7
3.8
75
Peru
3.7
3.6
75
Suriname
3.7
3.6
79
Burkina Faso
3.6
3.5
79
China
3.6
3.6
79
Swaziland
3.6
3.6
79
Trinidad and Tobago
3.6
3.6
83
Serbia
3.5
3.4
84
El Salvador
3.4
3.9
84
Guatemala
3.4
3.1
84
India
3.4
3.4
84
Panama
3.4
3.4
84
Thailand
3.4
3.5
89
Lesotho
3.3
3.2
89
Malawi
3.3
2.8
89
Mexico
3.3
3.6
89
Moldova
3.3
2.9
89
Morocco
3.3
3.5
89
Rwanda
3.3
3
95
Albania
3.2
3.4
95
Vanuatu
3.2
2.9
97
Liberia
3.1
2.4
97
Sri Lanka
3.1
3.2
99
Bosnia and Herzegovina
3
3.2
99
Dominican Republic
3
3
99
Jamaica
3
3.1
99
Madagascar
3
3.4
99
Senegal
3
3.4
99
Tonga
3
2.4
99
Zambia
3
2.8
106
Argentina
2.9
2.9
106
Benin
2.9
3.1
106
Gabon
2.9
3.1
106
Gambia
2.9
1.9
106
Niger
2.9
2.8
111
Algeria
2.8
3.2
111
Djibouti
2.8
3
111
Egypt
2.8
2.8
111
Indonesia
2.8
2.6
111
Kiribati
2.8
3.1
111
Mali
2.8
3.1
111
Sao Tome and Principe
2.8
2.7
111
Solomon Islands
2.8
2.9
111
Togo
2.8
2.7
120
Armenia
2.7
2.9
120
Bolivia
2.7
3
120
Ethiopia
2.7
2.6
120
Kazakhstan
2.7
2.2
120
Mongolia
2.7
3
120
Viet Nam
2.7
2.7
126
Eritrea
2.6
2.6
126
Guyana
2.6
2.6
126
Syria
2.6
2.1
126
Tanzania
2.6
3
130
Honduras
2.5
2.6
130
Lebanon
2.5
3
130
Libya
2.5
2.6
130
Maldives
2.5
2.8
130
Mauritania
2.5
2.8
130
Mozambique
2.5
2.6
130
Nicaragua
2.5
2.5
130
Nigeria
2.5
2.7
130
Uganda
2.5
2.6
139
Bangladesh
2.4
2.1
139
Belarus
2.4
2
139
Pakistan
2.4
2.5
139
Philippines
2.4
2.3
143
Azerbaijan
2.3
1.9
143
Comoros
2.3
2.5
143
Nepal
2.3
2.7
146
Cameroon
2.2
2.3
146
Ecuador
2.2
2
146
Kenya
2.2
2.1
146
Russia
2.2
2.1
146
Sierra Leone
2.2
1.9
146
Timor-Leste
2.2
2.2
146
Ukraine
2.2
2.5
146
Zimbabwe
2.2
1.8
154
Côte d´Ivoire
2.1
2
154
Papua New Guinea
2.1
2
154
Paraguay
2.1
2.4
154
Yemen
2.1
2.3
158
Cambodia
2
1.8
158
Central African Republic
2
2
158
Laos
2
2
158
Taijikistan
2
2
162
Angola
1.9
1.9
162
Congo, Republic
1.9
1.9
162
Congo, Democratic Republic
1.9
1.7
162
Guinea-Bissau
1.9
1.9
162
Kyrgyzstan
1.9
1.8
162
Venezuela
1.9
1.9
168
Burundi
1.8
1.9
168
Equatorial Guinea
1.8
1.7
168
Guinea
1.8
1.6
168
Haiti
1.8
1.4
168
Iran
1.8
2.3
168
Turkmenistan
1.8
1.8
174
Uzbekistan
1.7
1.8
175
Chad
1.6
1.6
176
Iraq
1.5
1.3
176
Sudan
1.5
1.6
178
Burma
1.4
1.3
179
Afghanistan
1.3
1.5
180
Somalia
1.1
1

As one Guardian commentator notes, I think we can determine the bias of tables such as this by reflecting on Israel's suspiciously high position. Also anyone care to venture a guess at how many of the bottom 80 countries the US has economically raped and politically sabotaged in the past 50 years? By John Pilger's guess it's 35. Your thoughts on this tragic piece of political propaganda?

[Ardruire Iacób]

Ireland 14th? You must be joking. The government is in the pocket of developers and speculators.

[Armenum]

Armenia 120th....no surprise tell you the truth and just outright shameful, I am probably guilty as well given that I do the same thing there and often encourage my friends and family to bribe at given situations.

We need our own Rose Revolution!

[Tiberios]

Denmark nr 2, nice going I most say.

[Atabeg]

Armenia 120th....no surprise tell you the truth and just outright shameful, I am probably guilty as well given that I do the same thing there and often encourage my friends and family to bribe at given situations.

We need our own Rose Revolution!

I haven't yet figured out if you don't know anything at all about your own country or your just...

Armenia not being a Russian muppet any longer means end of a nation called "Armenia". Since its only because of that is still alive.

[Armenum]

I haven't yet figured out if you don't know anything at all about your own country or your just...

Armenia not being a Russian muppet any longer means end of a nation called "Armenia". Since its only because of that is still alive.

It is only because of Turkey that Azerbaijan is alive. You are supposed to be province of Iran. You also shouldn't be one talking because Azerbaijan is way more corrupt than Armenia. Azerbaijan has an effective dictatorship, Aliyev will be able to stay in office for life.

[Atabeg]

Xachik Cigan.

I only told you that you don't know anything about your country at all, if you talk abour "rose" revolution.

[Arch-hereticK]

Ireland 14th? You must be joking. The government is in the pocket of developers and speculators.

But on the other hand....................nobody here really cares, it's them damn foreigners doing it all.

[Bovril]

Ireland 14th? You must be joking. The government is in the pocket of developers and speculators.

There are 'acceptable' and 'unnaceptable' ways of influencing politicians and officials. Spending millions on contributions to campaign funds and lobbying politicians to change policies is 'acceptable', bribing a low level official to not apply a policy is not. There's no intrisically good reson for this I can work out, except the idea that the interests of power should be 'peculiarly well attended', to use Adam Smith's phrase (which he used in the context of criticising this idea).

[razor-]

Why is it suspicious that Israel ranks high? Just because they could be nicer towards the palestinians does not mean they are corrupt in any way.

[danzig]

As one Guardian commentator notes, I think we can determine the bias of tables such as this by reflecting on Israel's suspiciously high position. Also anyone care to venture a guess at how many of the bottom 80 countries the US has economically raped and politically sabotaged in the past 50 years? By John Pilger's guess it's 35. Your thoughts on this tragic piece of political propaganda?

Well considering the goal of the thing is and I quote "the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians" with corruption defined by "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain" how exactly does this have anything to do with the US and why shouldnt Israel be on the list? It isnt about foreign policy, it is about INTERNAL corruption. Sounds like Guardian commentator is a moron who cant read.

[Vince Noir]

Well considering the goal of the thing is and I quote "the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians" with corruption defined by "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain" how exactly does this have anything to do with the US and why shouldnt Israel be on the list? It isnt about foreign policy, it is about INTERNAL corruption. Sounds like Guardian commentator is a moron who cant read.

Wow, so hostile. Well it seems equally moronic to not understand the connection. Between the years of 1945 and 2005 the USA has attempted to overthrow 50 governments, many of them democracies, and to crush thirty popular movements fighting tyrannical regimes. If you fail to see how American intervention has not contributed to the appalling corruption in many of these countries then...well, never explain subtlety, some just don't get it.

I did not say Israel 'should not be on the list'. Calm the defence brah. Considering they are currently occupying another state illiegally and have been hiding settlemnt data from its own people for years...I would consider that a pretty bad sign.

[danzig]

Wow, so hostile. Well it seems equally moronic to not understand the connection. Between the years of 1945 and 2005 the USA has attempted to overthrow 50 governments, many of them democracies, and to crush thirty popular movements fighting tyrannical regimes. If you fail to see how American intervention has not contributed to the appalling corruption in many of these countries then...well, never explain subtlety, some just don't get it.

Not meant to be hostile sorry it came out harsher then I intended though. Playing the blame game though only goes so far, everyone has been meddled with by someone at some point in their history but if 10-20 years later the country is still being run into the ground by corrupt leadership who's fault is it? I mean Iraq for example is at the bottom of the list but it was just as corrupt (based on the groups definition) under Saddam. Afghanistan? Same thing its always been messed with first by Brits then Russians. So at what point does "its someone elses fault" stop becoming the free pass card? Countries like Venezuela have all the necessary tools to be a successful country but yet its near bottom as well.

I did not say Israel 'should not be on the list'. Calm the defence brah. Considering they are currently occupying another state illiegally and have been hiding settlemnt data from its own people for years...I would consider that a pretty bad sign.

But that has nothing to do with local officials and corruption level internally which is the basis of the list...anyway again sorry if it came out hostile wasnt my intention.

[Vince Noir]

Not meant to be hostile sorry it came out harsher then I intended though. Playing the blame game though only goes so far, everyone has been meddled with by someone at some point in their history but if 10-20 years later the country is still being run into the ground by corrupt leadership who's fault is it? I mean Iraq for example is at the bottom of the list but it was just as corrupt (based on the groups definition) under Saddam. Afghanistan? Same thing its always been messed with first by Brits then Russians. So at what point does "its someone elses fault" stop becoming the free pass card? Countries like Venezuela have all the necessary tools to be a successful country but yet its near bottom as well.

Indeed, yet "fragile, unstable states that are scarred by war and ongoing conflict linger at the bottom of the index". Many of these states suffer from internal strife due to the popular democracies overthrown with the help of British and American governments. It frustrates me when global newspapers ram this stuff down peoples throats like it carries any sort of validity. What is this pole even, sponsored by 'so and so organization, the delegated official body for determining unquantifiable conspiracies'. It's tripe such as this that reinforces the notion to the masses that the 3rd world are bunch of uncivilized barbarians swimming in corruption awaiting the pioneering democracies of the west to come and rescue them. I was merely making a connection between why these countries are in the 'state' they are in. Because sponsored dictators and financial terrorism has been rife throughout the past 50 years.

And combined with the fact that Venezuela is inexplicably below Kenya...I mean come on. Even if you could quantity this, they would be no where near each other. Venezuela is demonised in the west for its lack of political and economic co-operation with Washington and I feel such bias is reflected in the pole.

[danzig]

Indeed, yet "fragile, unstable states that are scarred by war and ongoing conflict linger at the bottom of the index". Many of these states suffer from internal strife due to the popular democracies overthrown with the help of British and American governments. It frustrates me when global newspapers ram this stuff down peoples throats like it carries any sort of validity. What is this pole even, sponsored by 'so and so organization, the delegated official body for determining unquantifiable conspiracies'. It's tripe such as this that reinforces the notion to the masses that the 3rd world are bunch of uncivilized barbarians swimming in corruption awaiting the pioneering democracies of the west to come and rescue them. I was merely making a connection between why these countries are in the 'state' they are in. Because sponsored dictators and financial terrorism has been rife throughout the past 50 years.

Shrug 3rd world nations ARE swimming in corruption though, its natural an index on corruption is going to reflect that. If the goal was propaganda dont you really think Iraq and Afganistan would be ranking much higher to show just how "good" western involvement in those countries are? I mean christ they are both nearly dead last and both have gotten progressively worse according to their numbers.

And combined with the fact that Venezuela is inexplicably below Kenya...I mean come on. Even if you could quantity this, they would be no where near each other. Venezuela is demonised in the west for its lack of political and economic co-operation with Washington and I feel such bias is reflected in the pole.

Shrug in Veneuzla its basically Chavez and his supporters and thats it controlling everything...if that isnt the mark of massive corruption not sure what is. Besides the index is created by a non profit in Germany, its not like its coming out of the US to dismiss it as propaganda considering Europe is generally more accepting of Chavez then the US. And its not like the difference between the two on the list are huge, Kenya is 147 with a 2.1 mark and Venezuela is 158 with 1.9. Think you are simply seeing too much "propaganda" where there is none, now if you want to complain about basis they come up with the numbers then sure but its their index, their "rules".

[Pious Agnost]

Ha-hey New Zealand got first.

That's a nice surprise

[Ahlerich]

Ha-hey New Zealand got first.

That's a nice surprise

pah! you just bribed the guy of the guardian that released this list

[Pious Agnost]

pah! you just bribed the guy of the guardian that released this list

With what? A free holiday?

[vopohame]

That is why I want the old Aztec system of punishment, the higher the level of the person committing the corruption/crime the greater the punishment.

[Bovril]

That is why I want the old Aztec system of punishment, the higher the level of the person committing the corruption/crime the greater the punishment.

Absolutely. The philosopher Simone Weil discussed this idea at some length in the book the French government in exile commisioned from her during WW2, called The Need For Roots. Top suggestion.