BISHKEK (TCA) — In 2017, Kazakhstan ranked 122nd among 180 countries on this year’s Corruption Perceptions Index released on February 21 by Transparency International. Kazakhstan had a score of 31 (29 in 2016), which means it has the lowest perceived level of public sector corruption among Central Asia countries.
Kyrgyzstan ranked 135th with a score of 29 (28 in 2016), Uzbekistan ranked 157th with a score of 22 (21 in 2016), Tajikistan was 161st with a score of 21 (25 in 2016), and Turkmenistan ranked 167th with a score of 19 (22 in 2016).
The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. This year, the index found that more than two-thirds of countries score below 50, with an average score of 43.
This year’s Corruption Perceptions Index highlights that the majority of countries are making little or no progress in ending corruption, while further analysis shows journalists and activists in corrupt countries risking their lives every day in an effort to speak out, Transparency International said.
This year, New Zealand and Denmark rank highest with scores of 89 and 88 respectively. Syria, South Sudan and Somalia rank lowest with scores of 14, 12 and 9 respectively. The best performing region is Western Europe with an average score of 66. The worst performing regions are Sub-Saharan Africa (average score 32) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (average score 34).
Since its inception in 1995, the Corruption Perceptions Index, Transparency International’s flagship publication, is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption. The index offers an annual snapshot of the relative degree of corruption by ranking countries from all over the globe.
