2023 Corruption Perceptions Index

The government ethics watchdog group Transparency International has released its 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), a survey of perceptions of corruption in hundreds of countries across the globe.

180 countries and territories are ranked by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. The scores range from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

More than two-thirds of the countries and territories fell below 50. Most countries have either declined or made no progress in the last decade. 

Rising authoritarianism and the undermining of independent accountability mechanisms and independent justice systems are to blame according to the NGO:

"Justice and the effective rule of law are essential for preventing and stopping corruption at  both the national and international levels. Both are cornerstones of democracy and  embody notions of fairness and accountability. Impunity for corruption – where people who abuse their power do not face consequences for the harm they cause – is the essence of  injustice and failure of the rule of law." 

"There has been a global decline in justice and the rule of law since 2016.  The rise of authoritarianism in some countries contributes to this trend, and even in democratic contexts, the mechanisms that keep governments in check have weakened. Governments across the political spectrum have undermined justice systems, restricted civic freedoms  and relied on non-democratic strategies to address recent challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic."

"Against this backdrop, this year’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows that only 28 of the 180 countries measured by this index have improved their corruption levels over the last twelve years, and 34 countries have significantly worsened. Despite progress made across the planet in criminalising corruption and establishing specialised institutions to address it, corruption levels remain stagnant globally."

The least corrupt countries in descending order according to the Index are Denmark, Finland , New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, and Switzerland.

At the other end of the listing, the most corrupt countries are estimated to be Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, North Korea, and Nicaragua.

The Index aggregates data from several different sources to gather perceptions among businesspeople and country experts of the level of corruption in the public sector.