Corrupt activity bolstered by the coronavirus pandemic features heavily in the findings of Transparency International’s 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released Thursday. Even countries that score high on the index were found to have weaknesses in their commitment to transparency and integrity in responding to COVID-19.
The annual report ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public-sector corruption, using a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). As with previous years, more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50 in the 2020 CPI, with an average score of just 43. Since 2012, 26 countries have improved their CPI scores, including Greece, Myanmar, and Ecuador. Twenty-two have declined, including Lebanon, Malawi, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
