Denmark tops list of least corrupt countries in the world. Finland and New Zealand takes second place.

The Danish Parliament. Photo: POLITICO

New year new list-kind ‘a thing. As reported by Politiken, Denmark tops the Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 – a list of least corrupt countries in the world.

This is established based on Transparency International’s yearly survey of public sector corruption levels in countries throughout the world.

Jesper Olsen, Chairman of Transparency International in Denmark, is very pleased and said it is proof of a healthy Danish business environment.

– It is extremely joyous because the key points of which we have advanced […] lets foreign countries know that when they want to do business in Denmark, they don’t have to bribe their way into the Danish market, he said.

However, life is not all beer and Skittles.

According to Jesper, the high score does not equal no corruption in Denmark as the corruption index “only” indicates how the level of corruption is perceived, and how it is for foreign companies to work with Danish authorities and officials.

He points out that no country has ever achieved a perfect corruption index score and that Denmark could potentially increase its score by recognising that corruption do happen.

– And by recognising the need to improve certain areas. Denmark is characterised by being one of the countries without a strategy for how to prevent corruption.

Additionally, Denmark is not especially transparent when it comes to the political environment. For instance, it is very easy to blur economic political transactions.

All countries included in the survey receives points from 0 to 100. Denmark scored 88 points in 2021 and has now reached a score of 90.

Not many points separates the top countries. Finland and New Zealand takes a shared second place with 87 points while Norway finds itself on a third place (84). Further, Singapore takes fourth (83), Sweden fifth (83) and Switzerland sixth (82).

In the bottom of the list Belarus attains 39 points while Vietnam, in the relative bottom, obtains 42 points and Malaysia 47 points.

Note: The first sentence is a Jada-reference which undersigned assumes everybody is familiar with. If not, ahem…Go to you preferred music platform and listen to “Nudes”. Please.

Find the Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 here: https://transparency.dk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/CPI2022_Report_EN-web.pd

Source: https://politiken.dk/indland/art9192080/Danmark-topper-listen-som-verdens-mindst-korrupte-land

About Jeannette Hinrup

Jeannette Sophie Hinrup is a Danish environmental geographer traveling South East Asia while writing for ScandAsia.

View all posts by Jeannette Hinrup

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