Index: Corruption still high in Asia

New Zealand is one of the world’s least corrupt countries and Myanmar is one of the world’s most corrupt, according to on Transparency International’s Corruptions Perception Index 2013, which was recently released.

The yearly index scores countries from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Among Asia-Pacific countries, New Zealand, with a score of 91, was tied for first place with Denmark.

Top quartile countries in the region were Singapore (86), Australia (81), Hong Kong (75), Japan (74) and Taiwan (61).

Nine regional countries scored at or above the average of 50. Twelve Asian countries, including China (40) and India (36), had scores below 50, “indicating a serious corruption problem”, according to TI. 

This year’s ranking of Asian countries was only slightly different than TI’s 2012 rankings. The major movers this year were Myanmar, which rose 15 places and improved its score to 21 from 15, while Cambodia fell three places.

TI bases the annual CPI on “experts’ opinions of public sector corruption”. Countries with access to information and rules governing the behaviour of public officials can improve perception, while a lack of accountability and ineffective public institutions has the opposite effect, according to the organisation.

Asia-Pacific Results 

A score of 100 is “very clean” and a score of 0 is “highly corrupt”