Corruption Perceptions Index

In 1995 an advocacy group based in Berlin, Transparency International, announced a Corruption Index, assigning scores between 0 and 10 (10 = least corruption) to countries.

In the index's first year, 1995, scores were assigned to 41 countries. These initial ratings were derived from seven preexisting surveys: three from the World Competitive Report from the Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, one from Business International, New York, and three from Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd., Hong Kong. The polls were analyzed by Johann Graf Lambsdorff, an economist at the University of Göttingen.

The index, renamed the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), has continued to be prepared annually, and an additional index, the Bribe Payer's Index (BPI) has been added to cover exporters who bribe as well as bribe takers. Current results can be seen at www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi

Most Corrupt (1995)		Least Corrupt
Indonesia	1.94	New Zealand	9.55
China	2.16	Denmark	9.32
Pakistan	2.25	Singapore	9.26
Venezuela	2.66	Finland	9.12
Brazil	2.70	Sweden	8.87

For comparison, the United States was rated at 7.79.

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