World's Most Corrupt Countries - Transparency International's 2014 List

Transparency International has released its list of most and least corrupt countries in the world. Based on the following:

Poorly equipped schools, counterfeit medicine and elections decided by money are just some of the consequences of public sector corruption. Bribes and backroom deals don’t just steal resources from the most vulnerable – they undermine justice and economic development, and destroy public trust in government and leaders.

Based on expert opinion from around the world, the Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption worldwide, and it paints an alarming picture. Not one single country gets a perfect score and more than two-thirds score below 50, on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

Corruption is a problem for all countries. A poor score is likely a sign of widespread bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs. Countries at the top of the index also need to act. Leading financial centres in the EU and US need to join with fast-growing economies to stop the corrupt from getting away with it. The G20 needs to prove its global leadership role and prevent money laundering and stop secret companies from masking corruption.

The top 5 'least corrupt' nations:

1. Denmark
2. New Zealand
3. Finland
4. Sweden
5. Norway
5. Switzerland

Good on Scandinavia, but their Muslim problem is a major issue.

The honors for 'most corrupt' go to:

174. Somalia
174. North Korea
173. Sudan
172. Afghanistan
171. South Sudan
170. Iraq

Not surprising at all.

The United States shared the same rank of #17 with Barbados, Hong Kong and Ireland.

Venezuela ranked 161. So much for Hugo Chavez's utopia.