The Nordic Region and Singapore once again take the lead as some of the least corrupt countries in the world, according to the annual Corruption Perceptions Index.
Every year, the index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople.
This year, the countries deemed least corrupt included Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand, each of which ranked 88 out of a scale of zero to 100.
Following close behind the top three were Norway, Singapore, and Sweden, which shared a ranking of 85.
More than two-thirds of the 180 countries and territories on this year’s list scored below 50.
The year’s average global score remained “static” at 43 and since 2012, a total of 25 countries had significantly improved their rankings while 23 had significantly declined on the scale, according to the index.
Amongst countries in the Asia-Pacific region needing to make more effort to tackle corruption was Vietnam with a score of 39, Thailand with a score of 35, Laos with a score of 30, and Cambodia with a score of 23.
