Jan 28, 2017 1:42 p.m. ET
BySHAWNLANGLOIS
When it comes to the world’s most corrupt countries, Somalia dominates the competition. In fact, for 10 years running, it has earned the dubious distinction of bringing up the rear on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
But it’s not just the African nation that’s mired in a toxic mix of political turpitude and inequality. More than two-thirds of the 176 countries in this year’s index fall below the midpoint on its scale from zero — highly corrupt — to 100 — very clean.
“In too many countries, people are deprived of their most basic needs and go to bed hungry every night because of corruption, while the powerful and corrupt enjoy lavish lifestyles with impunity,” writes, José Ugaz, Chair of Transparency International.
Rounding out the top five behind Somalia are the usual cast of characters: South Sudan, North Korea, Syria and Yemen. Of note, only North Korea managed to eke out a slight improvement over the past five years, according to the study.
Tthe Middle East took the biggest hit in the index, led by a 10-score drop from Qatar, home to FIFA’s World Cup scandal and reports of human rights abuses.
On the flip side, Denmark and New Zealand top the list with a score of 90, followed by Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. The study explains that “higher-ranked countries tend to have higher degrees of press freedom, access to information about public expenditure, stronger standards of integrity for public officials, and independent judicial systems.”
The United States comes in with 74, a drop of two points from last year, which puts it in the 18th spot between Ireland and Austria.
Here’s the full list:
Overall, more countries declined in the index than improved, a clear sign that people are fed up empty political assurance to tackle corruption. This, according to the study, has led to a rising in populism that will likely only serve to make things worse.
“In countries with populist or autocratic leaders, we often see democracies in decline and a disturbing pattern of attempts to crack down on civil society, limit press freedom, and weaken the independence of the judiciary. Instead of tackling crony capitalism, those leaders usually install even worse forms of corrupt systems,” Ugaz said.
