World in Crisis: Corruption Explodes, Democracy Faces Its Greatest Threat Yet!

The Corruption Perception Index for 2024 by Transparency International is out and we can confirm that things aren’t looking too great.

The index scores nations out of 100, with zero being the most corrupt and 100 being the cleanest. As per the index, the average score was just 43. Moreover, this means more than two-thirds of all countries had a score lower than 50 in 2024. It also means that as many as 148 nations have gotten worse since the 2012 period.

Only 32 counties were highlighted as having limited corruption during that time, displaying how difficult it can be to attain meaningful changes in this region. In 2024 alone, the nations having the lowest corruption rates included Denmark, Finland, and Singapore. The opposite was true for a place like Sudan which scored just 8 points and held the title of being the world’s most corrupt nation.

Syria, Somalia, and Venezuela did considerably better than before. As far as the regions being deemed hotspots for corruption, it was the African and Middle East that stood at the top of their games. The US ranked 28 which is the lowest we’ve ever seen for America since the year 2012. The negative trend has gotten worse since 2015 when it was considered a leading role model for others at the time with scores of 76.

Corruption continues to evolve around the globe and the threat hinders development. It’s also a leading cause of declining democracy, HR violations, and instability. The international community and every other country must consider tackling the large rates of corruption and make it a top priority for them to benefit.

The head of Transparency International shared his two cents on the issue and how such poor results need to be tackled before it’s too late. He also mentioned how it could be a leading cause of fallout in democracy and HR violations. This is important to secure peaceful and free societies, he continued.

To solve the issue, he suggested adopting more anti-corruption stances to protect finances and regain trust. After all, corruption can cause a stir with checks and balances. It silences activists and other journalists in the industry and anyone who’s out there who is advocating for human rights, equality, and great sustainability.

Score	Country	Rank
90	Denmark	1
88	Finland	2
84	Singapore	3
83	New Zealand	4
81	Luxembourg	5
81	Norway	5
81	Switzerland	5
80	Sweden	8
78	Netherlands	9
77	Australia	10
77	Iceland	10
77	Ireland	10
76	Estonia	13
76	Uruguay	13
75	Canada	15
75	Germany	15
74	Hong Kong	17
72	Bhutan	18
72	Seychelles	18
71	Japan	20
71	United Kingdom	20
69	Belgium	22
68	Barbados	23
68	United Arab Emirates	23
67	Austria	25
67	France	25
67	Taiwan	25
65	Bahamas	28
65	United States of America	28
64	Israel	30
64	South Korea	30
63	Chile	32
63	Lithuania	32
63	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	32
62	Cabo Verde	35
60	Dominica	36
60	Slovenia	36
59	Latvia	38
59	Qatar	38
59	Saint Lucia	38
59	Saudi Arabia	38
58	Costa Rica	42
57	Botswana	43
57	Portugal	43
57	Rwanda	43
56	Cyprus	46
56	Czechia	46
56	Grenada	46
56	Spain	46
55	Fiji	50
55	Oman	50
54	Italy	52
53	Bahrain	53
53	Georgia	53
53	Poland	53
51	Mauritius	56
50	Malaysia	57
50	Vanuatu	57
49	Greece	59
49	Jordan	59
49	Namibia	59
49	Slovakia	59
47	Armenia	63
47	Croatia	63
46	Kuwait	65
46	Malta	65
46	Montenegro	65
46	Romania	65
45	Benin	69
45	Côte d'Ivoire	69
45	Sao Tome and Principe	69
45	Senegal	69
44	Jamaica	73
44	Kosovo	73
44	Timor-Leste	73
43	Bulgaria	76
43	China	76
43	Moldova	76
43	Solomon Islands	76
42	Albania	80
42	Ghana	80
41	Burkina Faso	82
41	Cuba	82
41	Hungary	82
41	South Africa	82
41	Tanzania	82
41	Trinidad and Tobago	82
40	Kazakhstan	88
40	North Macedonia	88
40	Suriname	88
40	Vietnam	88
39	Colombia	92
39	Guyana	92
39	Tunisia	92
39	Zambia	92
38	Gambia	96
38	India	96
38	Maldives	96
37	Argentina	99
37	Ethiopia	99
37	Indonesia	99
37	Lesotho	99
37	Morocco	99
36	Dominican Republic	104
35	Serbia	105
35	Ukraine	105
34	Algeria	107
34	Brazil	107
34	Malawi	107
34	Nepal	107
34	Niger	107
34	Thailand	107
34	Turkey	107
33	Belarus	114
33	Bosnia and Herzegovina	114
33	Laos	114
33	Mongolia	114
33	Panama	114
33	Philippines	114
33	Sierra Leone	114
32	Angola	121
32	Ecuador	121
32	Kenya	121
32	Sri Lanka	121
32	Togo	121
32	Uzbekistan	121
31	Djibouti	127
31	Papua New Guinea	127
31	Peru	127
30	Egypt	130
30	El Salvador	130
30	Mauritania	130
28	Bolivia	133
28	Guinea	133
27	Eswatini	135
27	Gabon	135
27	Liberia	135
27	Mali	135
27	Pakistan	135
26	Cameroon	140
26	Iraq	140
26	Madagascar	140
26	Mexico	140
26	Nigeria	140
26	Uganda	140
25	Guatemala	146
25	Kyrgyzstan	146
25	Mozambique	146
24	Central African Republic	149
24	Paraguay	149
23	Bangladesh	151
23	Congo	151
23	Iran	151
22	Azerbaijan	154
22	Honduras	154
22	Lebanon	154
22	Russia	154
21	Cambodia	158
21	Chad	158
21	Comoros	158
21	Guinea-Bissau	158
21	Zimbabwe	158
20	Democratic Republic of the Congo	163
19	Tajikistan	164
17	Afghanistan	165
17	Burundi	165
17	Turkmenistan	165
16	Haiti	168
16	Myanmar	168
15	North Korea	170
15	Sudan	170
14	Nicaragua	172
13	Equatorial Guinea	173
13	Eritrea	173
13	Libya	173
13	Yemen	173
12	Syria	177
10	Venezuela	178
9	Somalia	179
8	South Sudan	180

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