The Republic is perceived to be among the least corrupt nations in the world
TOP TEN COUNTRIES PERCEIVED TO BE THE LEAST CORRUPT ACCORDING TO TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL
🇩🇰 1. Denmark
🇫🇮 2. Finland
🇸🇬 3. Singapore
🇳🇿 4. New Zealand
🇱🇺 5. Luxembourg
🇳🇴 6. Norway
🇨🇭 7. Switzerland
🇸🇪 8. Sweden
🇳🇱 9. Netherlands
🇮🇪 10= Ireland
🇦🇺 10= Australia
🇮🇸 10= Iceland
UK & USA
🇬🇧 20. United Kingdom
🇺🇸 28. United States
BOTTOM THREE
🇻🇪 178. Venezuela
🇸🇴 179. Somalia
🇸🇸 180. South Sudan
TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL, a non-profit making independent body which monitors government corruption throughout the world, has just issued their latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) figures, and Ireland remain in the top ten countries (tenth equal with Australia and Iceland) in the world that are perceived to be the least corrupt. The placing remains the same as last year.
The least corrupt country in the word is perceived to be Denmark, followed by Finland (No. 2), Singapore (no. 3), New Zealand (No 4).
Ireland has steadily crept up the table, from a low of No. 18 and now remains at No. 10 alongside Iceland and Australia.
Over the years, investigations into corruption by bodies such as the Flood Tribunal and the Mahon Tribunal greatly helped the perception of Ireland as a place where business could be carried out without corrupt financial dealing. Tribunals, which began in the 1990s were into allegations of corrupt payments to politicians regarding political decisions.
In Transparency International's rankings, the UK is at no 20
Hungary is the lowest-ranked EU member state, ranked 82.
In general countries with the lowest scores are mostly in fragile and conflict-affected countries. The bottom three, that is the countries perceived to be the most corrupt in the world, are Venezuela (placed 178) Somalia (179) and South Sudan (180)
Corruption — its definition and its deleterious consequences
To gauge a country’s Corruption Perception Index, a raft of parameters are considered. It is worth noting that the CPI is an assessment of perceived corruption in the public sector. It doesn’t look at how countries help facilitate corruption overseas.
The parameters surveyed include the giving of bribes — these include bribes to police, the judiciary, local authorities and many other bodies and individuals. Embezzlement, favouritism in everything from health to housing, and nepotism are all considered. The score of each country is based on data compiled from eight independent sources, including the Economist Intelligence Unit and the World Economic Forum.
Transparency International believes that corruption erodes trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development and further exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division and the environmental crisis.
Corruption can happen anywhere: in business, government, the courts, the media, and in civil society, as well as across all sectors from health and education to infrastructure and sports.
A perception that a country is corrupt can harm investment and economic success, so it is no surprise that the countries that are perceived to be least corrupt are all countries where the standard of living is high, and which have robust economies.
In its release of the figures last week it said in a statement: “Global corruption levels remain alarmingly high, with efforts to reduce them faltering, according to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released today [February 12, 2025] by Transparency International. The report has exposed serious corruption levels across the globe.”
See More: Corruption, Transparency International
