Corruption by country. Definition, graph and map.

Rank	Countries	Amount
# 1	Iceland:	9.7
= 2	Finland:	9.6
= 2	New Zealand:	9.6
# 4	Denmark:	9.5
# 5	Singapore:	9.4
# 6	Sweden:	9.2
# 7	Switzerland:	9.1
# 8	Norway:	8.9
# 9	Australia:	8.8
# 10	Austria:	8.7
= 11	United Kingdom:	8.6
= 11	Netherlands:	8.6
# 13	Luxembourg:	8.5
# 14	Canada:	8.4
# 15	Hong Kong:	8.3
# 16	Germany:	8.2
# 17	United States:	7.6
# 18	France:	7.5
= 19	Ireland:	7.4
= 19	Belgium:	7.4
= 21	Japan:	7.3
= 21	Chile:	7.3
# 23	Spain:	7
# 24	Barbados:	6.9
# 25	Malta:	6.6
# 26	Portugal:	6.5
# 27	Estonia:	6.4
= 28	Oman:	6.3
= 28	Israel:	6.3
# 30	United Arab Emirates:	6.2
# 31	Slovenia:	6.1
= 32	Qatar:	5.9
= 32	Uruguay:	5.9
= 32	Taiwan:	5.9
= 32	Botswana:	5.9
# 36	Bahrain:	5.8
= 37	Cyprus:	5.7
= 37	Jordan:	5.7
# 39	Malaysia:	5.1
= 40	Hungary:	5
= 40	Korea, South:	5
= 40	Italy:	5
# 43	Tunisia:	4.9
# 44	Lithuania:	4.8
# 45	Kuwait:	4.7
# 46	South Africa:	4.5
= 47	Czech Republic:	4.3
= 47	Namibia:	4.3
= 47	Slovakia:	4.3
= 47	Greece:	4.3
= 51	Costa Rica:	4.2
= 51	Mauritius:	4.2
= 51	Latvia:	4.2
= 51	El Salvador:	4.2
= 55	Bulgaria:	4
= 55	Colombia:	4
= 55	Fiji:	4
= 55	Seychelles:	4
= 59	Thailand:	3.8
= 59	Cuba:	3.8
= 59	Trinidad and Tobago:	3.8
= 62	Brazil:	3.7
= 62	Belize:	3.7
# 64	Jamaica:	3.6
= 65	Peru:	3.5
= 65	Ghana:	3.5
= 65	Mexico:	3.5
= 65	Panama:	3.5
= 65	Turkey:	3.5
= 70	Egypt:	3.4
= 70	Saudi Arabia:	3.4
= 70	Croatia:	3.4
= 70	Poland:	3.4
= 70	Burkina Faso:	3.4
= 70	Syria:	3.4
= 70	Lesotho:	3.4
# 77	Laos:	3.3
= 78	Senegal:	3.2
= 78	Sri Lanka:	3.2
= 78	China:	3.2
= 78	Suriname:	3.2
= 78	Morocco:	3.2
= 83	Lebanon:	3.1
= 83	Rwanda:	3.1
= 85	Dominican Republic:	3
= 85	Mongolia:	3
= 85	Romania:	3
= 88	Benin:	2.9
= 88	India:	2.9
= 88	Tanzania:	2.9
= 88	Gabon:	2.9
= 88	Armenia:	2.9
= 88	Iran:	2.9
= 88	Bosnia and Herzegovina:	2.9
= 88	Mali:	2.9
= 88	Moldova:	2.9
= 97	Malawi:	2.8
= 97	Argentina:	2.8
= 97	Serbia and Montenegro:	2.8
= 97	Madagascar:	2.8
= 97	Algeria:	2.8
= 97	Mozambique:	2.8
= 103	Gambia, The:	2.7
= 103	Yemen:	2.7
= 103	Swaziland:	2.7
= 103	Macedonia, Republic of:	2.7
= 107	Ukraine:	2.6
= 107	Zimbabwe:	2.6
= 107	Eritrea:	2.6
= 107	West Bank:	2.6
= 107	Gaza Strip:	2.6
= 107	Nicaragua:	2.6
= 107	Honduras:	2.6
= 107	Vietnam:	2.6
= 107	Kazakhstan:	2.6
= 107	Belarus:	2.6
= 107	Zambia:	2.6
= 118	Nepal:	2.5
= 118	Guyana:	2.5
= 118	Bolivia:	2.5
= 118	Afghanistan:	2.5
= 118	Ecuador:	2.5
= 118	Libya:	2.5
= 118	Uganda:	2.5
= 118	Philippines:	2.5
= 118	Guatemala:	2.5
= 127	Albania:	2.4
= 127	Niger:	2.4
= 127	Russia:	2.4
= 127	Sierra Leone:	2.4
= 131	Congo, Republic of the:	2.3
= 131	Venezuela:	2.3
= 131	Cambodia:	2.3
= 131	Georgia:	2.3
= 131	Burundi:	2.3
= 131	Papua New Guinea:	2.3
= 131	Kyrgyzstan:	2.3
= 138	Azerbaijan:	2.2
= 138	Iraq:	2.2
= 138	Cameroon:	2.2
= 138	Indonesia:	2.2
= 138	Ethiopia:	2.2
= 138	Uzbekistan:	2.2
= 138	Liberia:	2.2
= 145	Congo, Democratic Republic of the:	2.1
= 145	Kenya:	2.1
= 145	Sudan:	2.1
= 145	Paraguay:	2.1
= 145	Somalia:	2.1
= 145	Pakistan:	2.1
= 145	Tajikistan:	2.1
# 152	Angola:	2
= 153	Côte d'Ivoire:	1.9
= 153	Nigeria:	1.9
= 153	Equatorial Guinea:	1.9
= 156	Turkmenistan:	1.8
= 156	Haiti:	1.8
= 156	Burma:	1.8
= 159	Bangladesh:	1.7
= 159	Chad:	1.7
	Weighted average:	4.1

DEFINITION: A CPI Score relates to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts and ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt). Includes police corruption, business corruption, political corruption, etc. Data for 2005.

SOURCE: Transparency International

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COMMENTARY

zokki 1st September 2010	I cannot believe this report. By any definition, Pakistan stands first in corruption. From the frauds in Flood & Earthquake relief funds to the bribes in cricket team, the corruption is well penetrated in the roots of this nation. Not only Pakistan stands first among most corrupt nations but it is at least 50 points ahead from the second positioned country.
Indian Tata 25th August 2010	In India, corruption starts from the moment you step out from the plane and enter the immigration check point. Countries with corruption rating level 5.0 or higher, it starts at high governmental/official level. The only difference is the value of graft. Whether it's Ten Rupees or USD10 Million, corruption happens everywhere. As long there's a giver, there will be a taker and vice-versa.
Yogi 23rd August 2010	I think this list is corrupted itself,India should be at the top of the list.
N.Ramasubramayan 18th August 2010	I am proud of India's growth in so many sectors. But the level of corruption is unimaginable.It can lead to a civil war one day.
ashok kumar 16th August 2010	India is not so clean as is shown in this survey. It should be in TOP TEN in the world.
Tony from Finland 13th August 2010	This list is accurate. USA is more corrupted than 16 countries, 11 of which are European countries.
Priyanka from India 6th August 2010	First thing for everyone the list starts from least corrupt countries to most corrupt countries. I believe that every country has corruption but its on individual that how we handle it. We as common man give chance to corruption to rise in our country. And every one thinks I have the most sorrows than any other human being on this earth- so u all from different countries think that your own country is the most corrupted from others because you have experienced it only in your own country. So try to find that on what criteria this data was collected and then blame those human beings who worked on it.
RG-Texas 30th July 2010	I think since there are more corrupt countries than the those at the top with .9 and .8, all the corrupt countries should get rid of all the not-so-corrupt ones. That way, pretty soon, Chad, the most corrupt country will be right on top. Go Chad!
Ashok 30th July 2010	I think the list itself is corrupted. I can say that India is the most corrupt country in the world, if not in TOp 3, it is definitely in the Top 10...not sure of the procedure to shortlist here.
Nageswara Rao 29th July 2010	Please kill them All......... All they are killing the people who has no food ............
Khalil 20th July 2010	This list is from least corrupt to most corrupt or reverse? I think the no1 is least corrupt
shailendra 13th July 2010	GOD, kick the corruption out of the world.
Quazi Ahmed Hussain 11th July 2010	Yeah, the list is little confusing. Many readers thought that number 1 in the list is most corrupt. But reality is just the reverse. So, it should have been mentioned that it is in order of least corrupt. Corruption is there everywhere. In some countries it is more controlled than others.
Nag 9th July 2010	I am surprised to see my country in 88 position ... I think India would be in top position but its wrong ..only GOD save my country ..I am very happy with this.....
Indian 6th July 2010	I am an Indian and I am surprised to see in 88!! It should be somewhere beyound 150! Our buerecratic system is the most corrupt in the world! Only god can save the country!
Tay 5th July 2010	I think this graph is exactly right. Corruption is not just an economic issue. It's also a matter of morals, war, and crime. As far as I'm concerned, porn being a part of a culture is a lot better than 10 year olds running around the street with Ak47's blowing people's heads off, or tribes that kidnap, torture, and rape tourists. This whole comment thread just proves that the most corrupt countries have also managed to corrupt their citizens brains.
John 1st July 2010	New Zealand has corruption there is no way our country should be so far up this list. Many of our politicians act as if they are honest however the overspend and abuse ministerial privileges. The main reason that New Zeland is not regarded as a corrupt country is probably due to our isolation and therefore difficulty to accurately probe. That's just my view though I am sure our glorious leaders do not feel the same way.
Cklien 18th June 2010	Just a query on the above list... who is corrupt is it them and not us or me... I think it all starts with you and me! If you where in their positions does it mean you would be any different?
Yaroslavka 26th May 2010	Раша в первой сотне - интересные дела))
BALTHAZAR 20th May 2010	ALMOST ALL THESE COMMENTS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY IGNORANT CONSPIRACY THEORISTS.
The other way around 17th May 2010	10 is least corrupt and 0 most corrupt.
Flamatron 12th May 2010	Kitty chan RULESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)
Flamatron 12th May 2010	Kitty chan!!!!!!!!!!! rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
jenny 11th May 2010	Jennyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Buddy 5th May 2010	We all know that the U.S.A should be at the top of that list
LGholm 29th April 2010	The corruption and the monetary deficit go hand-in-hand, just compare the Scandinavian countries with the S&P financially downrated Southern European countries.
US and Middle East 15th April 2010	Saudi Arabia is corrupt, but no more than many others like America or other Middle Eastern countries The laws against alcohol, porn, prostitution, and the public knowledge and the display of these are a front for the wealthy to control the masses and get drunk, use porn, have sex with prostitutes behind closed doors and on abroad trips for business and/or vacation. Corporations run the world, government and the spiritually enlightened (church, mosque, etc) help control the masses and facilitate their agendas. Hypocrites need not respond due to the inherent blindness to their foundationless speeches on human standards and lifestyle.
Nair 12th April 2010	A lot of you people have clearly not read what the index stands for. The ranking is in the increasing order with corruption. A higher CPI means lower corruption and hence a higher rank. India is rightly placed. There IS a lot of corruption in India.
meanup 2nd April 2010	They must have bribed the people who came to collect data
Norman Bates 29th March 2010	Who paid you for putting such a chart in the internet, I bet it was the CIA. Norman
mr. keee 26th March 2010	India chould be some between 1 to 10 not 88.
Milly 22nd March 2010	A ponder. What first introduced you people to this site ? For me, God cam to me in a dream with a MacBook and told me to have a go :) God is all knowing Amen
Talen Storla 20th March 2010	A thought. What is considered corrupt in one culture may not be considered corrupt in another which makes any kind of direct comparison extremely difficult. The fact that something might be "technically legal" doesn't mean it isn't corrupt in practice.
?? 13th March 2010	Is it possible to get this list for past years and not just the most recent. And if so how would one go about doing that?
theCORRUPTEDsoul 28th February 2010	James, the staff editor, does make a very good point....that is, the economic state of a country has a fairly direct relationship with how corrupted it is....it makes sense
shaan 24th February 2010	What to speak of corruption when your information is so corrupted and misleading, you should simply state your source where you gather this information from. And your bases for such a stastical report is very poor and incomprehensive as you clearly shown.
Saudi Arabia 23rd February 2010	Syria 3.4 - Saudi Arabia 3.4 ?!?!!! Are you really comparing the extremely corrupted Syria to Saudi Arabia were the crime percentage is even less than 0.01% ?? and where you don't see many drunk people laying on the ground and throwing up on streets like in US and Europe ?? No porn, no alcohol or gambling is allowed which is for the greater good and too many people find it awesome and protective. Saudi Arabia is a religious country and has principles to respect. Your statistics is wrong, at least most of it if not all.
Mr.Kanada 18th February 2010	This forum is full of corruption by people who have just learned English and want their grammer checked.
Shock 15th February 2010	Incredible to see UK, Spain in such high perception levels, this stats are not accurate for 2009/2010. What credibility the UK politicians have today? or the Spanish ones? the corruption on those countries is at the highest levels of the political system and therefore at corporation level. A new survey should be conducted. Additionally it is interesting to see in countries like Spain how the population keep supporting corrupted politicians, the Spanish society is showing signs of immaturity and lack of judgment to choose properly their liders, that will cost them a lot of pain in the future.
Jimmy 24th January 2010	From what I've gathered due to the economic crash on Iceland and certain things that have come to light there, they live in one of the most corrupted nations in Europe.
Curroption 21st January 2010	Enjoy corruption, just chill on others money, Curropt people are like......... They just wanna money, no care about its source. OK, let them enjoy life and poor people have to enjoy by just looking them in mercedes and BMW, by saying: "What a beautiful car and lady in car"
Prashant 16th January 2010	Dr. Anil Khari: Please read the definition below the chart: 10 means highly clean and 0 means highly corrupt Therefore, Iceland is free of corruption and Chad is most corrupt.
DR, Engineer (T&T) 8th January 2010	Trinidad and Tobago is extremely corrupted. Those in power hold on to it for dear life and keep surpressing their own people. They walk around and campaign to get votes and then spit on the very people who put them in office. It starts with the prime minister who fills his pocket, lives in a palace and throws a blind eye on the citizenry. His miniters have a simple task - follow the leader.
Nazerbayev 5th January 2010	Americans you want see real corruption take a trip to Kazakhstan!
Blobjun 30th December 2009	You should invert the statistics, it's severely misleading. See your source below the chart.
obert Ndaru 27th December 2009	Kenya - what is wrong with us?
Nishant 26th December 2009	Dr. Anil Khari, M.D. r u true indian did u see other countries goverment Corruption rate. i know india has corruption but now days our goverment will try to cut down. m currently livivng in U.K. nd here is more corruption.
Dr. Anil Khari, M.D. 25th December 2009	Is India rightly placed in ranking? It should be placed further high up in ranking as there is massive Corruption in India, but far lower than Pakistan.
Meagen 15th December 2009	This page is misleading and it is clear that many of you have misread the statistics presented A small number means a higher perceived level of corruption. ie Iceland is least corrupt Chad the most corrupt
shittu 20th November 2009	Is Afganistan,Iraq,and all the so called corrupt nations of the world,is the american system inposed on those nation that is corrupt and not the Nations
A Person 18th November 2009	Hasib, Maybe you should redefine your definition of corruption. Is it because these industrialized countries were so corrupt that these events happened? I do not agree with your comment.
jared 17th November 2009	I don't know where you got this list from but it's not the same one they've been discussing on BBC or CNN. The countries listed are not in the right order or with the same stats.
Hasib 18th October 2009	The industrialized nations are the most corrupt nations on the face of earth. They have brought the curse of World war 1 and 2, colonialism, Global financial crisis and have almost destroyed the earth's climate. This so called 'statistics' is a joke.
Bill Wells 22nd September 2009	I think that the worst thing about our system of government in the USA is that our leaders LEGALIZE and PROMOTE corruption, as is evident with lobbyists. Also, our elected leaders enact laws that make it difficult to unseat them; they think that, once elected, its a lifetime job. Many, or most, of our congressmen/women are lawyers and they enact laws favoring their legal cronies. I could go on and on, but this is enough for now.
Natane 10th September 2009	Good Day. The first duty of a leader is to make himself be loved without courting love. To be loved without 'playing up' to anyone - even to himself. I am from Marino and learning to read in English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "The branch that sassoon was ultra was specifically exercising to the growth of african americans, wetting itself furthermore knew practice." Best regards :), Natane.
Maximilian 9th September 2009	Hi guys. You create your opportunities by asking for them. I am from Tanzania and too poorly know English, give true I wrote the following sentence: "In efficiency, avon has spent its strategic cosmetics and identical well-being standards usually for enterprises." :D Thanks in advance. Maximilian.
Alberta 6th September 2009	Hi. Better shun the bait, than struggle in the snare. I am from Italy and also now teach English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "There have been existing income way shares that have traded in the space of banks of sellers and broker trade on a fair money." THX :-(, Alberta.
Shawn 6th September 2009	Good Day. If there is one thing worse than being an ugly duckling in a house of swans, it's having the swans pretend there's no difference. Help me! There is an urgent need for sites: Treatment of thinning hair. I found only this - best shampoo for Thinning hair . This can be required by the own way workplace. Shapes may have trees and gels involved to yellow weakened androgen, other as lower blood technique, strength woman with mechanical thyroid strands. With love :cool:, Shawn from Botswana.
Park 5th September 2009	Hi all. Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. I am from Indonesia and know bad English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "The chief wheat is to fund a advertising which has often used recent share, or now make on collective share." Thanks :o. Park.
Joe 2nd September 2009	Its a bit confusing, but the higher the score the less perceived corruption. So yes, the lower the rank the more corrupt. See their definition below the rankings.
Taps 21st August 2009	Wow this list is corrupted.
Loren 11th August 2009	So are the countries towards the bottom rankings, the most corrupt?
Lari 7th July 2009	Good morning. The average person thinks he isn't. I am from Poland and also now teach English, give please true I wrote the following sentence: "You wonder what the future holds, whether you be able to fulfill your wish to have children and how to accomplish your goal of building a family." Waiting for a reply :p, Lari.
Hadara 7th July 2009	Good morning. There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. I am from Estonia and learning to speak English, give true I wrote the following sentence: "Lesbian couple family building by justin dimateoas a part of a lesbian couple you experience the same concerns as individuals in any other relationship." With love ;), Hadara.
Wayne Kerr 23rd June 2009	You have got to be kidding!!! That figure for india is so obviously wrong, they are the most corrupt bunch of people on the planet!! So how do you determine a corruption rate? It's not like those involved want everyone to know about it, do they?
Madhukar 25th May 2009	Good
♀σα 25th May 2009	♀σα
Namus 12th May 2009	My copyright is violated. My defamed state is defamation
Bangladesh president 24th April 2009	We are not corrupt! AHHH!
Up All Night (USA) 14th March 2009	I think the list is a little confusing in it's layout. The list clearly shows #1 as the least corrupt, and the higher numbers being most corrupt. A few posters seem to be confused by this ordering. Most people would figure this out pretty quickly, but it should probably be clearer. Also, readers should check the definitions at the end of the list to see how it is figured before arguing which countries are most corrupt. For example, the idea that New Zealand charges $6.00 tax on a pack of cigarettes is not going to technically be corruption according to these statistics, and I can think of several reasons why taxes on cigarettes or gasoline might be imposed by a government for purposes not related to simply collecting revenue from citizens. Similar arguments are made in many posts here. If you want, debate why the methodology of the data collection is flawed or fails to include various types of corruption. But I interpret the definition to mean that it was compiled based on impressions of the level of corruption within a country by it's own populace. Most corruption is carried out by the most powerful segments of a society: Government, police, military, big business, and organized crime, etc., and is inherently protected by its own powers. So gathering hard stats is going to be tough because the most corrupt countries are going to be the least likely to prosecute and punish this corruption. So I think the self reporting method used in this list is a fair compromise, although not perfect. An example would be North Korea, which as far as I can tell is not on the list by that name or as it's proper name the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. It is by all accounts a highly corrupt country, but none of its citizens are available to survey, nor would you expect any of them to give a truthful answer if they could be surveyed!
Theo Purwanto (Jakarta) 24th June 2006	What is level the corruption of government of Indonesia?
Alanah 2nd November 2005	I love this site it is SOOOOOO awsome i go on it every day.
fatima 1st November 2005	hi readerz this web page iz full of information but i think the crime rate of pakistan iz increasing day by day
Grace 17th October 2005	Serbia and Montenegro are two parts of the former Yugoslavia. Other parts have become independent nations (Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia/Hertzogovenia) but the futures of Montenegro and Macedonia are uncertain. Serbia was the master of all and doesn't want to lose any more people or land. With Slovenia and Croatia now independent, Serbia has lost its only access to the sea (i.e. they are landlocked yet again). Since this was one of the many contributing factors that led to World War I, it should be taken seriously. He who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it. I wonder what happens to those who also do not learn geography? If you can't pronounce the name of a country, can't locate it on a map, and don't understand a little about its history then you shouldn't bomb, invade or interfere in its internal affairs. If you can pronounce Israel correctly, why can't you pronounce Iraq or Iran? The initial sound is the same. When television anchorpeople don't bother to pronounce properly, there isn't much hope for the ignorant masses. I wonder what would happen if one of them mispronounced Israel as "Eyesreal"? Would people keep quiet or would they do something about it? I think we all know the answer to that one. Well, Iraq is not "Eyerack" -- it is "Earrock"; Iran is not "Eyeran" -- it is "Earron"
SANLORENZO 17th June 2005	JUST THIS SITE IS A brainwashing web site. I don't believe in this data. Coincidentially, the most corrupsts countries are Ecuador, Venezuela, Iraq, and so. In other words, juts the countres in which United States has difficulties to have the control of the local monopolies. I don't know why this site is taking as a gospel for politicians or "researchers". An advice, please, if you want to talk about some particular country, go there and look the reality, NO THE STEREOTYPE or the CLASIFICATION according Uncle SAM. (American government always have his parcialized point of view).
Vonada 5th June 2005	What a meaningless statistic this is... This is trying to put numbers to something that numbers don't much apply. As for halliburton, the company is not corrupt in the least. Most certainly it would be more accurate to say the US gov't is corrupt, but even then, compared to governments in Eduador, Cuba, Colombia? Not at al
Cirap 25th May 2005	What about Rwandad? Is it so corrupted or not? If yes, what's the rate?
Cirap 25th May 2005	What about Rwandad? Is it so corrupted or not? If yes, what's the rate?
Edria Murray Staff Editor 7th May 2005	There are many different forms of government corruption and every country is likely to be affected to some degree. Definitions of government corruption include: Large sums of money being donated to a political party by multinational corporations and large organisations to encourage the party to govern in their favour. New members of parliament being instructed to follow party dictates rather than the views of the electorate they represent. Policies which are controlled by groups outside of the poliical party. Policies developed by a party after they are in power which differ considerably from the policies stated by the party before the election. Mis-use of government funds to achieve personal gain rather than the gain of the country or economy. Corruption is more common in countries which have low political competition, few government accountability mechanisms, and few economic opportunities. If political opportunities outweigh economic opportunities, people will enter politics in order to make money which causes corruption to increase. Government corruption has profound effects on the country as a whole. Countries with a high level of government corruption will typically have a low GDP (gross domestic product) per capita, a low level of innovation and a low level of healthcare spending. This statistic is based on the perception of people in the country and as activities which are considered corrupt in some countries may be considered acceptable in others, these values do not necessarily measure the true level of corruption.
Alver Wilson 6th April 2005	You are gay.
James Staff editor 11th March 2005	Corruption affects a country in numerous ways. "Corruption in elections and in legislative bodies reduces accountability and representation in policymaking; corruption in the judiciary suspends the rule of law; and corruption in public administration results in the unequal provision of services (source). The World Bank argues that corruption "increases public investment while decreasing its quality and productivity", leaving the government less money to invest in infrastructure, health and education. Higher levels of corruption also dissuade companies from investing in a country, further hindering economic development.">Corruption has an inverse relationship with economic development - that is the lower a countries GDP per capita the more likely it is to figure highly on the corruption index. Some people believe that corruption is a result of a poor economy, and at least one study has found that increasing per capita income in a country would reduce corruption. However, the World Bank argues that corruption is a cause of low economic development - or at the very least contributes to low economic growth. Although many factors affect economic growth, it is telling that the most corrupt countries are amongst the world's poorest while the least corrupt countries are amongst the world's richest. Countries that are perceived to have high levels of corruption also tend to be in the lower half of the Human Development Index.
James Staff editor 10th March 2005	Corruption has an inverse relationship with economic development - that is the lower a countries GDP per capita the more likely it is to figure highly on the corruption index. Some people believe that corruption is a result of a poor economy, and at least one study has found that increasing per capita income in a country would reduce corruption. However, the World Bank argues that corruption is a cause of low economic development - or at the very least contributes to low economic growth. Although many factors affect economic growth, it is telling that the most corrupt countries are amongst the world's poorest while the least corrupt countries are amongst the world's richest. Countries that are perceived to have high levels of corruption also tend to be in the lower half of the Human Development Index. Corruption affects a country in numerous ways. "Corruption in elections and in legislative bodies reduces accountability and representation in policymaking; corruption in the judiciary suspends the rule of law; and corruption in public administration results in the unequal provision of services (source). The World Bank argues that corruption "increases public investment while decreasing its quality and productivity", leaving the government less money to invest in infrastructure, health and education. Higher levels of corruption also dissuade companies from investing in a country, further hindering economic development.

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