The 10 Least and Most Corrupt Countries in the World

If you’ve ever wondered how corrupt a country is, check out how it ranked here.

The Transparency International Organisation has conducted their annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2016 . The index ranked 176 countries based on their perceived levels of corruption. The ranking goes from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

The top countries are characterised by high levels of freedom of press, access to information, financial transparency and independent judicial systems as well as usually having public officials with strong standards of integrity.

Top 10 on the CPI

1. Denmark and New Zealand – 90

2. Finland – 89
3. Sweden – 88

4. Switzerland – 86

5. Norway – 85

6. Singapore – 84

7. Netherlands – 83

8. Canada – 82

9. Germany, Luxembourg and UK – 81

10 Australia – 79

The lower the country is on the list, the more it is plagued with untrustworthy and badly managed public institutions, such as the police and judiciary. Anti-corruption laws are ignored and bribery and extortion are common.

Bottom 10 on the CPI

167. Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Haiti and Republic of Congo - 20
168. Angola and Eritrea – 18

169. Iraq and Venezuela – 17

170. Guinea-Bissau – 16

171. Afghanistan – 15

172. Libya, Sudan and Yemen – 14

173. Syria – 13

174. North Korea – 12

175. South Sudan – 11

176. Somalia – 10

The results reflect the connection between corruption and inequality. The more corruption there is, the more there is unequal distribution of power and wealth and vice versa.

Corruption affects the people on a daily basis, sometimes in more obvious ways than others. Some people go without the most basic needs, such as food, water and shelter, due to corruption, while those in public office grow in power and enjoy their luxurious lives.

Unfortunately, there are more countries that declined rather than improved this year.