A growing outcry over corrupt governments forced the exit of several leaders from office last year, but as the dust has cleared it has become apparent that the levels of bribery, abuse of power and secret dealings are still very high in many countries.
The 18th annual Corruption Perceptions Index released on Wednesday by Transparency International shows corruption continues to ravage societies around the world.
In the Corruption Perceptions Index 2012, Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tie for first place with scores of 90, perceived to be clean, helped by strong access to information systems and rules governing the behavior of those in public positions. These countries have consistently finished on top of the list.
Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan are tied at the bottom of the Index, once again facing the ignominy of being the most corrupt countries in the world. In these countries, lack of accountable leadership and effective public institutions underscore the need to take a much stronger stance against corruption, says the Germany-based Transparency International.
Underperformers in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 also include the Eurozone countries most affected by the financial and economic crisis. Transparency International said in a press release that it had consistently warned Europe to address corruption risks in the public-sector to tackle the financial crisis, calling for strengthened efforts to corruption-proof public institutions.
The Corruption Perceptions Index scores countries on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean) based on how corrupt their public-sector is perceived to be. While no country has a perfect score, two-thirds of the 176 countries ranked in the 2012 Index score below 50, indicating a serious corruption problem.
The study shows that public institutions need to be more transparent, and powerful officials more accountable. Corruption amounts to a dirty tax, and the poor and most vulnerable are its primary victims, says the global non-profit organization dedicated to fighting corruption.
"Governments need to integrate anti-corruption actions into all public decision-making. Priorities include better rules on lobbying and political financing, making public spending and contracting more transparent and making public bodies more accountable to people," said Huguette Labelle, the Chair of Transparency International.
"After a year of focus on corruption, we expect governments to take a tougher stance against the abuse of power. The Corruption Perceptions Index 2012 results demonstrate that societies continue to pay the high cost of corruption," Labelle added.
Many of the countries where citizens challenged their leaders to stop corruption - from the Middle East to Asia to Europe - have seen their positions in the index stagnate or worsen.
The United States, the world's largest economy, is ranked 19th out of 176 countries from where data were collected in this year's index, scoring 74 on a scale of 0-100. This is an improvement from last year's 24th rank, its worst finish ever since Transparency International started issuing its corruption rankings in 1995.
Among the countries with scores higher than the United States are Sweden, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan and Britain.
Embroiled in a spate of corruption scandals in recent years, India is ranked 94th in the Index with a score of 36.
"Corruption is the world's most talked about problem," said Cobus de Swardt, Managing Director of Transparency International. "The world's leading economies should lead by example, making sure that their institutions are fully transparent and their leaders are held accountable. This is crucial since their institutions play a significant role in preventing corruption from flourishing globally," de Swardt said.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.