Where Corruption Is Rampant

Transparency International has released its 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index which gauges levels of perceived public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories around the world. The index scores them on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (clean) with the average score just 43 out of 100. More than two thirds of countries scored lower than 50, as the majority of countries have made "no progress or declined in the last decade."

In 2023, the countries with the lowest perceived level of public sector corruption were Denmark, Finland and New Zealand, followed by Norway, Singapore and Sweden. The opposite end of the index saw Somalia scoring just 11, making it the world's most corruption-stricken country. Syria, Venezuela and South Sudan were close behind with a score of 13.

The United States only came in 24th with a score of 69 - a slight increase on 2021's score which was the country's lowest since 2012 - and remains the same as that given in 2022.. Transparency International cites "weak ethics rules for the US Supreme Court" which have "raised serious questions of judicial integrity" in the country. It notes however that despite this, U.S. federal and state judiciaries "largely" continue to have sufficient independence.