Transparency International has just released a report on the Corruption Perception Index 2012.
The top three countries, Denmark, Finland and New Zealand, all scored 90 points on a scale of 100. Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan ranked last with only 8 points.
1. Somalia
Score: 8
For many years, the United States and the former Soviet Union have considered Somalia a political battlefield by providing financial support to factions there.
2. North Korea
Score: 8
According to Transparency International, corruption here has become serious since the early 1990s, when the Stalinist government collapsed.
3. Afghanistan
Score: 8
Afghanistan fell to the bottom of this year’s rankings after the country’s largest bank – Kabul Bank was discovered to be involved in a fraud of nearly 900 million USD to funnel money to politicians and the elite.
4. South Sudan
Score: 13
South Sudan produces half a million barrels of oil per day, and the $10 billion in revenue generated since 2005 has contributed nearly 98% of the government’s budget.
5. Myanmar
Score: 15
After 50 years under military control, since March 2011, Myanmar has implemented a series of both political and economic reforms.
6. Uzbekistan
Score: 17
Nasreddin Talybov, an employee of the anti-corruption department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan, said: `The people of my country are used to bribing everyone, whether they are teachers or doctors. We need to let everyone know that it is
7. Turkmenistan
Score: 17
An underdeveloped legal system has caused the country to sink deeper into corruption.
8. Iraq
Score: 18
In 2009, a former exiled Iraqi political official revealed on the BBC that: `Millions of dollars have been stolen, and some of it goes to terrorist groups. The government cannot win against them if it does not solve the problem.`
9. Venezuela
Score: 19
The discovery of a series of oil fields in Venezuela has pushed the country deeper into corruption.
10. Haiti
Score: 19
In 2011, the US State Department’s Human Rights Report said corruption `remains rampant at every corner and level of Haiti’s government`, even after the country elected a new president.
Thuy Linh (composite)