Corruption Perceptions Index 2015 by Transparency International Secretariat 9:39am 27th Jan, 2016   “Corruption can be beaten if we work together. To stamp out the abuse of power, bribery and shed light on secret deals, citizens must together tell their governments they have had enough.    “The 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index clearly shows that corruption remains a blight around the world. Sixty-eight per cent of countries worldwide have a serious corruption problem. Half of the G20 are among them.    But 2015 was also a year when people again took to the streets to protest corruption. People across the globe sent a strong signal to those in power: it is time to tackle grand corruption," said José Ugaz, Chair of Transparency International.    Corruption can be the abuse of high-level power that benefits the few at the expense of the many, and causes serious and widespread harm to individuals and society. It often goes unpunished.    Denmark took the top spot for the 2nd year running, with North Korea and Somalia the worst performers, scoring just 8 points each.    Five of the 10 most corrupt countries also rank among the 10 least peaceful places in the world.    In Afghanistan, millions of dollars that should have gone on reconstruction have been reportedly wasted or stolen, seriously undermining efforts to sustain peace.    Even where there’s not open conflict, the levels of inequality and poverty in these countries are devastating.    In Angola, 70 per cent of the population live on US$2 a day or less. One in six children die before the age of five – making it the deadliest place in the world to be a child. More than 150,000 children die each year. But not everyone’s suffering.    Dubbed Africa’s youngest billionaire, Isabel dos Santos made her US$3.4 billion fortune from the national diamond and telecommunications business. She’s also the president’s daughter.    Top performers share some key characteristics: high levels of press freedom; access to budget information so the public knows where money comes from and how it is spent; judiciaries that don’t differentiate between rich and poor, and that are truly independent from other parts of government.    In addition to conflict and war, poor governance, weak public institutions like police and the judiciary, and a lack of independence in the media characterise the lowest ranked countries.    The big decliners in the past 4 years include Libya, Australia, Brazil, Spain and Turkey. The improvers include Greece, Senegal.    The Corruption Perceptions Index is based on expert opinions of public sector corruption. Countries’ scores can be helped by open government where the public can hold leaders to account, while a poor score is a sign of prevalent bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs.    * Access the Corruption Perceptions Index via the link below. Visit the related web page
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