Corruption is a form of dishonesty or criminal activity undertaken by a person or organization entrusted with a position of authority, often to acquire illicit benefit, or, abuse of entrusted power for one’s private gain. Corruption may include many activities including bribery and embezzlement, though it may also involve practices that are legal in many countries. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index published annually by Transparency International since 1995 which ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys. The CPI generally defines corruption as “the misuse of public power for private benefit”. The CPI ranks 180 countries on a scale from 100 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt).
Here is the list of the top 20 least corrupt countries in the world.
Rank | Country | Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) |
1. | Denmark | 88 |
2. | New Zealand | 87 |
3. | Finland | 85 |
4. | Sweden | 85 |
5. | Switzerland | 85 |
6. | Singapore | 85 |
7. | Norway | 84 |
8. | Netherlands | 82 |
9. | Canada | 81 |
10. | Luxembourg | 81 |
11. | Germany | 80 |
12. | United Kingdom | 80 |
13. | Australia | 77 |
14. | Iceland | 76 |
15. | Hong Kong | 76 |
16. | Austria | 76 |
17. | Belgium | 75 |
18. | Ireland | 73 |
19. | Japan | 73 |
20. | Estonia | 73 |
