The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) measures how corrupt each country’s public sector is according to experts and entrepreneurs, but not according to public opinion.
More than two-thirds of countries scored below 50 out of 100
Poland dropped two places compared to the previous year. Poland’s position has been continuously deteriorating since 2015, when it was classified in 29th place with a score of 63 points.
The previous Polish government, led by PiS, “overpowered the judiciary and undermined the rule of law,” the report says. “His reforms allowed him to appoint his own judicial officers and investigate and punish judges, limiting his grip on power,” it added.
According to the report’s authors, however, limited access to EU funds prompted the government in Warsaw to withdraw some solutions.
“The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that corruption is flourishing around the world,” notes Transparency International. “More than two-thirds of countries scored below 50 points out of 100, which strongly indicates that they have serious corruption problems,” the organization adds.
The worst result among the European Union countries was taken by Hungary
According to the report, the least corrupt countries are: Denmark (90), Finland (87), New Zealand (85), Norway (84) and Singapore (83). In turn, the highest corruption occurs in Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13), South Sudan (13) and Yemen (16).
For the second year in a row, the worst result among the European Union countries was taken by Hungary (42), followed by Bulgaria (45) and Romania (46).
“Corruption will continue to thrive until the justice system is unable to punish wrongdoing and keep governments in check,” wrote François Valérian, head of Transparency International.
Data for individual countries is the result of a combination of at least three of 13 different data sources collected by institutions such as the World Bank or the World Economic Forum, the organization says.
