Friday 2 December 2011

How Corrupt Is Your Country?

Those of us who live or have lived in Asia and other parts of the world know that levels of corruptions vary.  In some it also most impossible to do business or get any service without money or a favour changing hands.

I recall more than one such incident when travelling in India, the most blatant being a customs official in Calcutta who was running our luggage through a metal detection unit and asked for a 'gift' -  which he did not get I should add.

Now there is the Corruption Map of the World from Transparency International and reproduced in the Guardian.

It seeks to quantify the levels of corruption or lack thereof in individual countries. Their transparency index measures each country in the world on corruption. See how they compare by clicking on each country. Use the drop-down menu to see how scores have changed since 2008.

India has dropped 8 places this year signalling that the level of corruption is increasing rather than declining.


Singapore has been proactive for many years in trying to stamp out corruption, especially in government and ranks a reasonable 5th in the world.

New Zealand's rank is better at #1 but this does not mean that it is corruption-free; indeed no country could make that claim.


There have been several incidences of corruption highlighted int the press in recent years ranging from the fall of a local politician to immigration staff accepting bribes.   Most governmental corruption cases in NZ relate to immigration.


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