Wereld: Corruption Perceptions Index 2011

Corruption continues to plague too many countries around the world, according to Transparency International’s 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index. It shows some governments failing to protect citizens from corruption.

Transparency International, a global civil society organisation, warned that protests around the world, often fuelled by corruption and economic instability, clearly show citizens feel their leaders and public institutions are neither transparent nor accountable enough.

Corruption Perceptions Index 2011: the results

The index scores 183 countries and territories from 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (very clean) based on perceived levels of public sector corruption. It uses data from 17 surveys that look at factors such as enforcement of anti-corruption laws, access to information and conflicts of interest.

Two thirds of ranked countries score less than 5. New Zealand ranks first, followed by Finland and Denmark. The Netherlands ranks seventh. Somalia and North Korea (included in the index for the first time), are last.

Eurozone countries suffering debt crises, partly because of public authorities’ failure to tackle the bribery and tax evasion that are key drivers of debt crisis, are among the lowest-scoring EU countries.