Least Corrupt Nations

Updated July 10, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

According to the annual survey by the Berlin-based organization Transparency International, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden are perceived to be the world's least corrupt countries, and Somalia, North Korea, and Afghanistan are perceived to be the most corrupt. For a list of the most corrupt nations, see the Most Corrupt Nations. The index defines corruption as the abuse of public office for private gain and measures the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among a country's public officials and politicians. It is a composite index, drawing on 13 different expert and business surveys. The scores range from 100 (squeaky clean) to zero (highly corrupt). A score of 50 is the number Transparency International considers the borderline figure distinguishing countries that do and do not have a serious corruption problem. In the 2019 survey, the vast majority scored below 50.