Ukraine topped the ranking of corrupt countries. Bribes and bribery: ranking of the most corrupt countries List of the most corrupt countries

Corruption has become one of the global problems these days. It is being fought both in individual areas and on the scale of all national states, as well as at the international level. It includes a whole series of actions aimed at abusing one’s official powers for personal gain. Forms of corruption in countries around the world include bribery, extortion, nepotism, nepotism, commercial bribery, receiving kickbacks, misappropriation of other people's property or money. Actions that are considered illegal depend on what is contained in national law. Therefore, the assessed level of corruption in countries around the world is not always objective.

Fighting internationally

Among the organizations that deal with the problem of corruption, the main ones are:

Global witness. This organization was founded in 1993 in London to combat human rights violations by countries that exploit natural resources.
Group of States against Corruption. It is engaged in the implementation of instruments adopted by countries to combat political corruption. This body was created by the Council of Europe in 1999 and currently includes 49 states.
International Anti-Corruption Academy.
Transparency International. This is a non-governmental international organization that fights political corruption and studies its level in various countries of the world. It has been operating since 1993. Every year this organization publishes a list of countries by level of corruption.

Indicators

Statistical assessment of corruption is difficult, if not impossible, due to the extremely imprecise content of this concept. The first indicators appeared in 1995. However, each of them focused on a different aspect of this multifaceted phenomenon. The first organization that began to assess the level of corruption in countries around the world was Transparency International. To date, it publishes three indicators. However, the most famous is the Corruption Perceptions Index. The World Bank gives its own assessment of the situation in countries around the world. It publishes employee survey data from more than 100,000 firms and a set of indicators of governance and institutional quality.

In Germany

The Global Corruption Barometer (a poll conducted by Transparency International) showed in 2013 that the most bribery organizations are political parties. This negative phenomenon is also widespread at the everyday level. About 11% of respondents said that they were asked for a bribe and only a few of them had the courage to refuse the “askers.” According to the Global Competitiveness Report, the most problematic factors for doing business in Germany are taxation and restrictive labor laws. However, faith in the ethical standards of politicians is high enough that statistics on corruption in the public sphere show that it is not widespread here.

In France

In a 2011 country report, Transparency International said the country was not doing everything in its power to tackle graft. The corruption perception index in 2015 was 70 points. France took 23rd place in the world rankings. The state has ratified several important anti-corruption documents, including the OECD and UN Conventions. The problem of bribery is not acute in France. National companies usually have a good reputation for corporate social responsibility.

In China

Corruption in the country has been the subject of media attention since Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping announced an anti-graft campaign in 2012. In 2015, China took 83rd place in the overall ranking of countries. Experts estimate that bribery, kickbacks, theft and waste of public funds cost the state at least 3% of GDP.

In Canada

The level of corruption in countries around the world shows that the situation in this state is the least dangerous. Canada is in 9th place in the ranking. However, a growing number of residents see their politicians and national institutions as fundamentally corrupt. But no Canadian officials were mentioned in the Panama Papers.

In Somalia

The level of corruption in countries around the world is negligible compared to this country. She completes the Transparency International ranking. Bribery and raiding are widespread practices here. This is how it happened historically. During the Cold War, the country was a battleground for two political ideologies. Today there is no official government in the state; individual clans rule the territories. Pirates operate in coastal areas. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world. It produces practically nothing; even vegetables and fruits are imported from neighboring Ethiopia. Crime is rampant in the country, and corruption is not just an everyday practice, but part of the lives of all people. Many experts believe that it is precisely the historical conditionality of this negative phenomenon that leads to the fact that all attempts to combat it do not bring any results.

Corruption in Russia

Giving and receiving bribes in various fields is considered a significant problem in the Russian Federation. It affects every aspect of life. Corruption is most widespread in areas such as public administration, law enforcement, healthcare and education. Corruption in Russia is associated with the historical model of state development, in which the norms of written law play a lesser role than informal customs. In 2015, the Russian Federation ranked 119th in the corruption perception index. This state of affairs affects the well-being of the population. Some experts believe that the rapid increase in tariffs for gas, water and electricity is a direct consequence of the widespread spread of bribery and raiding. The anti-corruption campaign in Russia began immediately after gaining independence in 1992. President Yeltsin's decree prohibited officials from engaging in business and required them to publish information about their income, personal property, bank deposits and securities, as well as financial liabilities.

Corruption in Ukraine

Bribery is seen as a major problem. Corruption in Ukraine is widespread in all areas. Transparency International puts the country in 130th place in the ranking. Bribes are given to ensure that government services required by law are provided or to reduce waiting times. The highest levels of corruption are observed in the automobile inspection, police, health care, judicial system and higher education. Anti-bribery is a key aspect for further obtaining international loans.

The international non-governmental organization Transparency International has published its annual ranking of countries by level of perception of corruption for 2016.

The company's analysts calculated that the average for 176 countries is 43 points out of 100.

The lowest level of corruption in 2016 was recorded in Denmark and New Zealand. They scored 90 points. The top five also included Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.

The highest levels of corruption were noted in Somalia, South Sudan, North Korea, Syria and Yemen, these countries received less than 20 points.

The United States, which scored 74 points out of 100 on non-perception of corruption, took 18th place in the ranking.

Ukraine and Russia scored 29 points and shared 131st place in the ranking; they were joined in this position by Nepal, Guatemala and Kazakhstan.

Belarus received 40 points and took 79th place. Israel, which scored 64 points, ended up in 28th place.

The report's authors noted that the ranking results demonstrated the relationship between corruption and inequality in the distribution of power in society and national income.

The relationship between corruption and inequality also fuels populism. When politicians don't fight corruption, citizens become skeptical and turn to leaders who promise to change things.

The CPI Corruption Perceptions Index is measured on a scale from 0 to 100. It is based on surveys of opinion leaders and experts regarding corruption in the public sector. In compiling it, the organization also takes into account, for example, whether those responsible for corruption are punished or go unpunished, the prevalence of bribery and the adequacy of public institutions to the needs of society.

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Hello, dear friends. Today we will look at such an educational topic as the levels of corruption in the countries of the world, what kind of research in this area and who is conducting it, its reliability, and what conclusions can be drawn by looking at various indices and percentages.

The most popular study is considered to be the determination of the corruption perception index (CPI), which is carried out by the public organization Transparency International. It annually conducts surveys of business representatives and analysts involved in global economic and human rights issues.

How do they count?

The IVC itself is very popular in the world community; it is often quoted and referred to. It is an assessment on a 100-point scale, where 0 is for countries with a high level of corruption, and 100 is for its absence.

The study itself has been conducted since 1995, and at first did not cover all countries of the world. Analysts from the World Bank for Third World Countries, the African and Asian Development Banks take part in the surveys. The Americans also had a hand in the research: analysts from their Freedom House are also participating in the survey. They specialize in determining the level of democracy in the world.

Is it worth believing?

Many internationally renowned independent experts in the field of public relations advise to be critical of this rating. They argue that corruption is widespread and countries without it do not exist.

In those countries where the level of corruption is low, and the index is calculated in the range of 80-90 (no country has a higher level), officials are simply better at hiding their machinations and corruption schemes, so it is difficult for them to be caught in the act.

Because they even talk about Denmark, the constant leader of this rating, remembering the submarines that were bought for no apparent reason, and where they then disappeared. And in prosperous Iceland, bankers terrorized the entire population in agreement with the authorities.

Land of the Setting Sun

If we consider the world map, on which states are colored in different colors depending on the scores assigned to them, it becomes noticeable that most countries in Europe and North America have a high anti-corruption orientation, and countries in Africa, South America and Eurasia, on the contrary, have a high level.

Some countries in one way or another stood out from the general background. For example, Chile is practically the only country in South America where there is no support for corrupt interests (66 points and 25th place out of 176 possible). While its neighbors occupy the bottom lines in this ranking. An anti-corruption law came into force in Estonia, and the country immediately scored 70 points and took a respectable 22nd place.

Countries of Europe

But, for example, in Portugal, which ranked 30th, a fairly high place, 83% of residents believe that corruption is flourishing in the country. But, nevertheless, the authorities condemned the former Prime Minister Socrates for accepting bribes and non-payment of taxes. Try to imprison Medvedev here.

So the residents are most likely slandering their authorities, and the country rightfully took its place in the CPI. But in Poland, which occupies 29th place, officials have such a bad tendency as nepotism: having taken a position in government structures, they drag their relatives and good friends into the same position. This, on the one hand, does not seem to be corruption, but the prerequisites for its development are quite serious.

Countries against corruption

But in Israel, Prime Minister Olmert was also imprisoned for bribes, and the country rightfully occupies 28th place in the CPI. And in Slovenia (33rd place), residents have repeatedly organized protests against corruption in government structures - Prime Minister Janša and the main opposition leader Janković are accused of illegal income and the secret acquisition of securities.

In Spain (43rd place), Prime Minister Rajoy was removed on charges of corruption. A total of 24 high-ranking officials were arrested. The Czech Republic increased its score to 56 in 2015 due to the resignation of Prime Minister Necas. In South Korea, the prime minister was also fired because of bribes, and the country ranks 52nd, in the middle of the CPI.

What about in Russia?

Russia, alas and ah, occupies a disgraceful 134th place with 29 points scored. Of course, we try to dismiss the Prime Minister. Taking into account also the loyal attitude towards corruption among the population, and the fight against corruption and cuts mainly in the form of slogans and posters, our country occupies a well-deserved place.

Our neighbors are Ukraine, Mexico, Honduras, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Nepal and Kazakhstan. By the way, with the adoption of new anti-corruption laws and several arrests of high-ranking officials, Kazakhstan has a chance this year to strengthen its position in the international rankings.

Other system assessments

The World Economic Forum also assesses the level of corruption in certain sectors of government structures, including in Russia. Let's consider assessing the work of some of them on a 7-point scale, where 1 is not effective operation of the system, 7 is highly effective:

Judicial system – 2.7;
Police – 3.0;
Utilities and infrastructure – 2.9;
Land management – 3.0;
Taxation – 3.3;
Customs – 3.3;
Government procurement and orders – 2.5.

Have you noticed that tax and customs officials are the best in the country? Maybe for there to be an improvement, the management should have changed a long time ago? But no one scored 7 points. And a level of 3 points indicates that our government agencies still have room to strive and something to fight against.

In Soviet times, the Cold War and the Iron Curtain reliably limited Russia and its officials from the corrupting influence of foreign countries. Now there are no borders, most officials also have no conscience, so they steal everything and on such a scale that Comrade Stalin never dreamed of.

With this I say goodbye to you. I hope that the topic touched upon is necessary, so subscribe to new articles on our site and give a link to it to your friends and relatives on social networks.

Everyone has heard about the problem of corruption and loud statements about the fight against it. But, unfortunately, many do not fully understand the reasons for this phenomenon and the scale of its prevalence. In this case, it is difficult to understand which methods can really counteract corruption, and which are just populism and nice words. Let's look at the main causes and consequences of corruption, as well as the problems associated with its eradication in the world and in Russia.

First of all, we need to understand the very concept of corruption. There are many variations of its definitions. If you look at the dictionary, the definition of corruption will be “moral corruption of officials and politicians,” which includes illegal enrichment, bribery, theft, etc. But the fight against “moral decay” is more like a fight with mills, so it is best to rely on the letter of the law. The Federal Law “On Combating Corruption” provides the following definition: “Corruption is abuse of official position (...) or other illegal use by an individual of his official position contrary to the legitimate interests of society and the state in order to obtain benefits.” Benefit can manifest itself in various forms, ranging from bribes and theft of money to illegal assistance to friends and relatives. The legal definition lists the most common forms of corruption:

giving and receiving bribes;
abuse of power;
commercial bribery.

The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation includes the following as corruption crimes:

mediation in giving bribes;
illegal participation in business;
violation of the procedure for financing an election campaign;
smuggling;
influence on the outcome of a sporting or commercial competition.

Corruption is classified depending on the scope, scope, status of the corrupt official, government agency or enterprise, equality or subordination of the subjects of corruption.

But, regardless of classification, corruption reflects a certain system, a type of thinking that threatens with serious consequences for society. In addition to the obvious consequences in the form of non-compliance by the wealthy with the law and the inaccessibility of certain services to the population, corruption causes enormous harm throughout the country:

constrains democracy by turning elections at any level from a vote for the best program for everyone into a vote for their patron;
undermines trust in government and leads to social instability;
slows down economic development by wasting capital on bribery and making market entry almost impossible;
reduces the quality of personnel, making higher education and hiring impossible without a bribe.

Corruption is as old as society itself. Since the advent of social inequality, those in power have never missed an opportunity to abuse their position. This problem among bureaucrats is mentioned even in the sources of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Ivan III began the fight against dishonest officials in Russia, but, as you can see, his work was never completed. And this despite the fact that Ivan the Terrible did not hesitate executed corrupt officials, and Peter I and Catherine II tried to introduce high salaries for them - in order to discourage the desire to collect it from the people. The Soviet era, which began with the slogan of fighting bribe-takers and bureaucrats, eventually gave rise to even more of them. The problem remains relevant today, despite all the laws and efforts. So what are we doing wrong?

To cure a disease, you need to understand its causes. The main causes of corruption, in addition to the properties of human nature and mentality, are imperfect legislation and control, lack of transparency standards, and instability of the political and economic system. The causes of corruption in Russia are largely rooted in Soviet traditions, the population's tolerance for this phenomenon, and their lack of faith in the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies.

Interesting fact: According to the World Bank, countries that actively combat corruption can increase their GDP by 5 times!!! during a year.

The above factors make the fight against corruption even more difficult. The fundamentals of anti-corruption should be a systematic approach aimed not only at actual control and punishment, but also at preventing corruption. Measures to prevent corruption include:

information work with the population aimed at conveying to society the idea that corruption is unacceptable and the need to report it under any circumstances;
increasing the transparency of government agencies;
media independence;
increasing the level of social security of civil servants;
simplification of bureaucratic procedures, transferring them to electronic form.

To combat corruption, the adoption of regulations is not enough. Significant changes to the countermeasures system and the introduction of new structures and mechanisms are necessary. Therefore, anti-corruption measures include:

active participation of civil society, creation and empowerment of structures for self-organization of the population to combat corruption;
interaction between law enforcement agencies and civil society;
special attention to ensuring the impartiality of judges;
adoption of necessary laws based on the interests of the country, and not members of parliament;
increasing the responsibility of all involved parties.

Corruption is an international problem, and almost every country in the world faces it on one scale or another. The level of corruption in countries around the world in 2018 is closely related to the level of political and economic indicators of the state. This is explained by the legal culture of the population, the effectiveness of the law enforcement system, the education and wealth of the population.

Denmark.
New Zealand.
Finland.
Sweden.
Norway.
Switzerland.
Singapore.
Netherlands.
Luxembourg.
Canada.

The most corrupt countries are mainly those in Africa, as well as several Asian and South American countries.

The high results of Western countries are explained by many years of experience in fighting corruption and building democratic states with civil society. Penalties for corruption in these countries range from fines to 15 years in prison.

Of greatest interest is the experience of fighting corruption in Asian countries, many of which managed to develop their economies and societies to Western levels in a very short period of time. At the same time, corruption was one of the main problems on their way, so the chosen counteraction strategy in most countries was especially harsh, even including executions and long-term imprisonment.

Interesting fact: One of the toughest laws against corrupt officials exists in China. Since the early 2000s in the country more than 10 thousand officials were executed. However, China remains in 83rd place in the ranking of the least corrupt countries.

But today, some Asian countries are the best example of transparency. South Korea uses an Internet monitoring system, and almost every adult citizen has the right to initiate an investigation into corruption. Singapore's anti-corruption system focuses on preventing corruption: the relevant body analyzes shortcomings in government agencies and corporations and points them out before they are used dishonestly.

Corruption in modern Russia is a serious problem. According to the Corruption Perception Rating, the corruption index for Russia does not change, and the position of the Russian Federation in the ranking of countries is slowly deteriorating: from 119th to 131st place. More than half of citizens do not believe that they can contribute to the fight against corruption in Russia.

Interesting fact: Every year in Russia, bribes are paid in an amount equal to the GDP of a country like Greece.

In order to solve the problem of corruption in Russia, the Presidential Anti-Corruption Council was established, as well as a special department under the prosecutor's office.

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, the following liability is provided for corruption:

fine;
deprivation of the right to hold a position or engage in activities in a specific area;
correctional, forced or compulsory labor;
suspended sentence or prison term of up to 12 years.

As world experience shows, real results in the fight against corruption can only be achieved by involving all citizens in this matter. In most cases, it is possible to collect enough evidence and punish the criminal only thanks to reports from ordinary citizens. Therefore, everyone should know where to report corruption. You should make an oral or written statement to the nearest police station. You can also submit an application to the prosecutor's office or court.

It is important for state and municipal employees to remember that reporting corruption is their direct responsibility, and failure to do so is an offense.

Even if the report of corruption is not confirmed, the reporter is not responsible for it - unless the report was knowingly false. And yet, for those who are afraid of something, you can report corruption anonymously, using the helpline of the corresponding region or by letter by mail.

Corruption is a system in which the entire society is included in one way or another, and to effectively combat it, the participation of all active members of society is also necessary. The first step - the development of a legislative framework - has already been taken, now all citizens are faced with the task of refusing the temptation to “simplify” their lives with another bribe. Corruption is one of the main obstacles to a developed economy and society, and it cannot be eliminated without it.

The international anti-corruption movement Transparency International published the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2018. Russia took 138th place out of 180 and scored 28 points out of 100. For the last three years, Russia scored 29 points, but this year it lost one point and dropped three places. Papua New Guinea, Lebanon, Iran, Guinea and Mexico scored the same points.

The Corruption Perceptions Index is a composite index that measures the level of perception of corruption in the public sector of various countries. It is compiled based on surveys of experts and entrepreneurs conducted by independent organizations around the world, and has been published annually since 1995. Countries around the world are ranked on a scale of 0 to 100, with zero being the highest level of perception of corruption and one hundred being the lowest.

There were insignificant changes in the group of leaders: first place was taken by Denmark (88 points), second by New Zealand (87 points), and third place was shared by Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Singapore (85 points each). At the bottom of the list are Somalia (10 points), Syria and South Sudan (13 points). The United States of America received 71 points (4 points less than last year) and for the first time in a long time failed to get into the top twenty leaders. Brazil also lost two points, earning the lowest CPI in seven years - it now has 35 points.

In the group of CIS countries and Russia's geographic neighbors, Tajikistan made the biggest leap - from 21 to 25 points. Ukraine (from 30 to 32 points) and Moldova (from 31 to 33 points) improved their position by two points. Some countries remained with the same results (Kazakhstan - 31 points, Armenia 35 points, Kyrgyzstan 29 points). Azerbaijan lost as much as 6 points: in the 2018 CPI, the country received 25 points versus 31 in 2017.

In addition to the traditional index, the 2018 CPI includes additional research showing the relationship between levels of perception of corruption and the level of democracy in a country. In this study, the authors analyze the relationship between corruption and global trends in the development of democracy in conditions where democratic institutions and norms are often threatened by authoritarian leaders or populists.

From the perspective of Transparency International Russia, the Russian Federation perfectly illustrates this trend. Problems with corruption are related to the fact that the existing institutions of a democratic society are often replaced by their imitation. In this regard, we see the following opportunities to correct the situation:

Supplement anti-corruption legislation with rules governing lobbying, disclosure of beneficial owners of assets and protection of whistleblowers. Ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Civil Liability for Corruption and adopt appropriate amendments to national legislation.

Implement obligations under international anti-corruption law, including the recommendations of the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO). Implement measures to recover assets stolen through corrupt activities and investigate cross-border financial crimes.

Increase the independence of election commissions, minimize the influence of executive authorities on the process of their formation.

Develop methodological recommendations and materials for university professors and school teachers to provide them with applicable anti-corruption education tools. Train teachers and professors to use them.

Do not apply economic, organizational, legislative and information measures that restrict civil society and journalists. Over the past two years, the set of these measures has been supplemented with massive “liquidation” fines and compensations, which threaten the existence of independent media, anti-corruption organizations and civil associations.

Instead, respond more actively and willingly to investigations by journalists and activists regarding public officials.

Limit the role of the state in those areas of public life that can develop on their own. Examples of excessive government presence leading to corrupt practices can be found in our publications on or.

To counter the emergence and functioning of informal public institutions that replace formal institutions, but distribute resources, powers and budgets at their own discretion, is opaque and unaccountable.