List Of Most Corrupt Nations Released. Where Does India Rank?

A country's score is a combination of 3 data sources drawn from 13 different corruption surveys. The data is collected by various institutions, including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.

India ranked 96 out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2024.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

India ranked 96 out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2024, according to a Transparency International Report released on Tuesday. India's score dropped by one point to 38 as per the latest report, whereas in 2023 it was 39.

The CPI ranks 180 countries based on their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people. The rankings are done on a scale of 0-100, where zero means highly corrupt and 100 means very clean.

The score of a country is a combination of at least three data sources that are drawn from 13 different corruption surveys. The data sources are collected by various institutions, including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum. A country's rank is its position relative to the other countries in the index. Thus, ranks can change if the number of countries included in the index are added or removed. The score is therefore more important in indicating the level of corruption in that country. 

Least And Most Corrupt Nations

Pakistan has a score of 27 and ranked at 135, while Sri Lanka scored 32 with a 121 rank. Other neighbouring countries Bangladesh and China ranked 151 and 76, respectively. U.S ranked at 28 with a score of 65 and the United Kingdom ranked at 20 with a score of 71.

Denmark (score: 90) topped the list, emerging as the least corrupt country, followed by Finland (88) and Singapore (84). Other countries in the top ten list with a clean public sector include Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Luxembourg, and Netherlands.

The most corrupt country is South Sudan, with a score of eight Syria, Venezuela, and Somalia are also facing significant challenges due to corruption in public sector.

The 2024 CPI report states that while 32 nations have made notable strides in reducing corruption since 2012, as many as 148 countries have experienced worsening corruption levels or the corruption levels have stagnated during the same period.

The global average score has stayed at 43, with more than two-third countries scoring less than 50.  

What Kind Of Corruption Does CPI Measure?

According to the Transparency International, the CPI is measured using data sources based on manifestations of public sector corruption including bribery, officials using public office for private gains without consequences, diversion of public funds, government's ability to contain corruption, nepotism, and red tapism in the public sector.

Some other factors include legal protection for people who report bribery and corruption, laws to ensure disclosure of finances and potential conflict of interest by public sector officials, and access to information on public affairs.

The report said that corruption is a major threat to climate action and hinders progress in reducing emissions and adapting to the unavoidable effects of global heating. The 2024 CPI showed that corruption is a serious issue in every part of the world, but change was happening in many countries. 

"Huge numbers of people around the world suffer severe consequences of global heating, as funds intended to help countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and protect vulnerable populations are stolen or misused. At the same time, corruption in the form of undue influence obstructs policies aimed at addressing the climate crisis and leads to environmental damage," the report said.