The countries with the lowest levels of corruption are held up as pinnacles of good governance. But no nation is immune to dishonest dealings, as revealed by Transparency International's 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, assigning each a score between zero (highly corrupt) and 100 (very clean).

Worryingly, a number of countries – including the UK, Germany, and New Zealand – have tumbled down the rankings in the latest edition of the CPI. Read on to discover the top scorers in Transparency International's index and find out why even these "clean" nations still struggle with corruption. All dollar amounts in US dollars.

The Bahamas' score remains unchanged from the previous CPI, and while the Caribbean nation ranks relatively well in the index, corruption is still a significant problem.

Safeguards are inadequate at present, and the country's lawmakers are dragging their feet when it comes to rolling out proposed anti-graft measures. The government's perceived "cosy relationship" with crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried (pictured) has dealt a damaging blow to its reputation.

Transparency International has docked Chile one point in the latest CPI.

Last summer, the ruling coalition led by President Gabriel Boric was rattled by a major corruption scandal after allegations that regional officials awarded lucrative contracts to politically friendly organisations.

Boric has taken steps to address graft in Chile. For instance, he enacted a bill last August that guarantees protection for whistleblowers in government corruption cases. However, in September of this year, a member of Chile's Supreme Court, Justice Ángela Vivanco, was suspended after being linked to a corruption case.

One of Asia's least corrupt countries, Taiwan is considerably more open and transparent than the neighbouring People's Republic of China, which claims the island nation as part of its territory.

However, political corruption is still a prevalent issue in Taiwan and came to the fore in the run-up to the country's general election in January. As such, the nation is down one point in the latest CPI. In September 2024, investigators in Taiwan detained former presidential candidate Ko Wen-je, the second prominent politician to be hit with a corruption probe since President Lai Ching-te took office in May.

Another key area of concern is the procurement of defence contracts, which is often shrouded in secrecy and, Transparency International warns, particularly prone to corruption.

Corruption is deeply entrenched in the Middle East, although the United Arab Emirates shines as a beacon of relative propriety in the region.

That said, the country still lacks effective anti-corruption mechanisms and senior members of the ruling family act with "impunity", according to the Global Organized Crime Index.

On the brighter side, the UAE government has intensified efforts to tackle corruption and money laundering, while the UAE Accountability Authority was recently launched to reinforce the integrity of public finances. As a result, the nation has gained one point in the 2023 CPI.

Bhutan maintains its score of 68 in the latest CPI. The least corrupt country in South Asia, it has a robust anti-graft commission and the government has won plaudits for its transparency.

However, the Himalayan kingdom still falls short when it comes to customs, with bribery relating to cross-border trade prevalent. The public procurement process isn't beyond reproach either since the awarding of contracts can sometimes involve bribery and favouritism.

At 69 points, America's score remains unchanged from 2022. Transparency International has praised the US judiciary for its independence and integrity, noting how cases against former (and incoming) President Donald Trump and the incumbent POTUS's son Hunter Biden were allowed to proceed without hindrance. In addition to that, the US government recently bolstered corruption protections with a new bribery law.

The negatives, however, include weak ethics rules for the US Supreme Court, with the corruption allegations surrounding Judge Clarence Thomas testament to this.

In the past year alone, corruption scandals involving two high-profile politicians – Senator Robert Menendez and Congressman George Santos – have further sullied America's reputation. Meanwhile, New York City mayor Eric Adams has pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges.

The least corrupt Caribbean nation, Barbados has seen its score shoot up by four points in the latest index. This burst of progress is almost certainly thanks to the passing of the Integrity in Public Life Bill last summer, which encompasses the creation of an Integrity Commission and a raft of anti-corruption measures.

However, the bill has yet to be proclaimed, and corruption remains a serious problem in the country. In fact, while Barbados's current score of 69 is a marked improvement from the last index, it was much higher back in 2012, at 76.

The UK's score has fallen by two points in the latest CPI, hitting an all-time low of 71. Over the past five years, the country has lost seven points – more than any other Western European nation – and has plummeted out of the top 10.

A litany of scandals relating to the procurement of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, involving Tory peer Michelle Mone and other public figures, is partly to blame for the UK's fall from grace. New chancellor Rachel Reeves has vowed to appoint a COVID corruption tsar in a bid to recoup billions in public money.

Other causes for concern range from the "Partygate" scandal to the prevalence of unethical lobbying and abuse of the honours system. The UK still lacks an anti-corruption champion following the resignation of MP John Penrose in June 2022.

In stark contrast to the UK, the Seychelles has seen its score rise dramatically over the past decade. While it received 52 points in 2012, it was given a score of 71 in the latest CPI, one mark higher than its 2022 result. 

The Seychelles is now Africa's least corrupt country, as well as being the smallest and least populous. Much is being done to eliminate impropriety in public life through the Anti-Corruption Commission of Seychelles (ACCS) and other bodies.

However, corruption still remains problematic, as two current ACCS cases show. One relates to $50 million (£40m) in aid money that went missing, a scandal involving the former First Lady, while the other pertains to the mismanagement of loans at the Seychelles Business Finance Agency (SBFA).

France has lost a point since the 2022 edition of the CPI. The country's good name has taken a bit of a hit over the past year due to a series of headline-grabbing scandals involving high-ranking politicians, including former President Nicolas Sarkozy.

One of the concerns alluded to by Transparency International is the lack of clarity surrounding property ownership, which, it warns, poses an "unacceptable" level of money laundering risk in the French real estate market.

Austria's score (71) remains unchanged in the latest CPI.

Corruption levels in the country are generally low, although a succession of scandals in the last few years have dented the nation's reputation. Among them is 2019's "Ibiza-gate", when a video was released showing former vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache talking to a woman purporting to be the niece of a Russian oligarch during a 2017 meeting in Ibiza.

In February of this year, former chancellor Sebastian Kurz was convicted of lying to parliament.

Like the UK, Iceland has recorded its worst-ever score in the index at 72, which marks a decrease of two points from the previous CPI.

Transparency International attributes this decline to various factors, including the infamous "Fishrot" corruption scandal that has entangled Iceland and Namibia.

The lack of transparency that has characterised bank privatisations in the country can also take some of the blame, as can a series of bribery cases over the course of the past few years.

Uruguay is South America's anti-corruption trailblazer and the continent's highest scorer. But its reputation has been tainted over the last couple of years, and consequently, Uruguay's overall mark on the CPI has dropped by one point.

This is likely due to the whirlwind of corruption scandals that have engulfed the coalition government of President Luis Lacalle Pou. The most serious, which stems from efforts to block an investigation into the issuing of a passport to a notorious drug trafficker, resulted in the resignations of three cabinet members last November, including the country's foreign and interior ministers (pictured).

At 73, Japan's score in the latest CPI hasn't changed over the last year.

This is surprising when you consider that the country is going through a once-in-a-generation political crisis sparked by a major corruption scandal. A faction within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is accused of pocketing undeclared kickbacks and several cabinet members have resigned as a result.

This damaging corruption scandal ultimately contributed to the downfall of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (pictured). He's since been replaced by Shigeru Ishiba, who has signalled that he plans to call an election in October of this year.

Belgium is also a non-mover this year, retaining its score of 73. Public life in the country is generally open and transparent but, as The Brussels Times has noted, "the shadow of corruption has fallen on Belgian politics time and again".

The most prominent recent example is the "Qatargate" scandal, centred on allegations that Qatari officials have bribed EU politicians to influence European Parliament decisions. 

Hong Kong's score has decreased by one point in the latest CPI.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Hong Kong's dedicated anti-graft agency, relentlessly pursues wrongdoers for even comparatively minor corruption offences, which goes a long way towards explaining the high ranking.

But the special administrative region of China is still far from corruption-free, and the deduction of a point shows that more needs to be done to clean up the territory.

Australia has maintained its score since last year, receiving 75 points. Despite the wide-ranging anti-corruption measures introduced by the Albanese government, Australia's fight against graft is perceived as getting weaker. According to Transparency International, recent scandals such as the Robodebt debacle and the PwC tax leak affair have undermined public trust.

Action needs to be taken to reduce the influence of big money in politics, shore up whistleblower protections, and pass legislation to tackle foreign bribery and money laundering.

Estonia has gained two points in the latest CPI and has moved two spots up the rankings. The Baltic State is Eastern Europe's least corrupt country by a wide margin, although several scandals have still beset the nation in recent years.

In January 2021, for example, the government collapsed and Prime Minister Jüri Ratas resigned after the launch of a property-related corruption investigation into one of Estonia's coalition parties.

Canada's score is up by two points in the latest CPI. That's less impressive, however, when you considered that it was as high as 84 back in 2012, with the country featuring in the top 10 until 2019.

Ironically, its reputation as a stable democracy where the rule of law is paramount has made Canada a magnet for criminals to launder and invest their ill-gotten gains for safekeeping, according to Transparency International.

This so-called "snow-washing" is being addressed in a meaningful way by the introduction of Bill C-42, a law that will require companies to divulge the names of their real owners, hence the improved score.

Ireland's score remains unchanged from last year, at 77 points. The Emerald Isle has strong anti-corruption measures in place but, like Canada, it has issues with money laundering, with Transparency International calling for more clarity when it comes to property and business ownership.

Accessing Ireland's beneficial ownership registers is hampered by a "very complicated system", which only serves to help the criminals who want to stash away their spoils in the country.

Luxembourg scores 78 in the latest CPI, one point up from 2022 but still way off the nation's peak score of 85 in 2015.

Over the past year or so, the grand duchy has beefed up its whistleblower protections and buttressed its other anti-corruption initiatives. It's been taken off a corruption watchlist overseen by the Council of Europe’s States against Corruption (GRECO) as a result.

All the same, Luxembourg could still do a lot more to improve transparency, with the government attracting EU criticism for its failure to provide access to official documents and the parliamentary register.

Germany's score is down one point in the latest index. In May 2023, Energy State Secretary Patrick Graichen (pictured) resigned following allegations of cronyism after he appointed a close friend as the head of the German Energy Agency. The country's Green Party has been similarly slammed for the way it's handed out jobs.

This "green sleaze", as it's been labelled, hasn't done Germany's reputation any favours and is almost certainly a contributing factor behind the docked point.

The Netherlands's score has also dipped by a point in the 2023 edition of the CPI. This marks a record low for the country, whose score peaked when it received 84 points back in 2015.

The country's falling score is a cause for concern, according to Transparency International. It ascribes the decline to several factors, including the increasing influence of organised crime, the weakening of checks and balances, and a lack of transparency in lobbying.

Switzerland maintains its score of 82 in the latest index, though it was rated a cleaner 86 back in 2016.

The affluent nation's strict banking secrecy has come under much criticism from anti-corruption campaigners and is seen by many as facilitating large-scale money laundering and other financial crimes.

On a more positive note, the Swiss government recently put forward a raft of anti-money laundering measures, including the introduction of a beneficial owners register. Whether these new regulations will be sufficient, remains to be seen.

Sweden's score has also fallen by a point in the CPI. While the country's anti-corruption measures certainly aren't to be sniffed at, it's worth noting that Sweden's score has fallen by seven points since 2015.

Transparency International cites issues in the country's judicial system as one reason for the drop, particularly flagging the appointment of judges, who are chosen by the government rather than by an independent body, as an example. 

Singapore's score remains unchanged from last year, at 83 points. The city-state is Asia's least corrupt country, and its government is known for its zero-tolerance approach.

However, no nation is perfect and Singapore's first ministerial corruption scandal is currently playing out. In a case that has shocked Singaporeans, the now-former Transport Minister Subramaniam Iswaran (pictured left) has been found guilty of receiving gifts while in office, including cash and F1 tickets, partly in exchange for helping Malaysian property magnate Ong Beng Seng advance his business activities in the country.

Norway's score (84) also remains unchanged from the previous CPI. That said, its current rating is down from 88 in 2015 and 85 in 2021.

Over the past few years, the country has been rocked by a wave of political conflict of interest scandals. A number of ministers who have been accused of wrongdoing have resigned, which has chipped away at public trust in the political system.

Two points have been deducted from New Zealand's score in the latest index, which continues its downward trend from 2021 when it scored 88. New Zealand has dropped a place down the rankings, too.

According to Transparency International, the nation's halo is being tarnished by a lack of confidence from the business community when it comes to the integrity of public contracting, taxation, and trade opportunities.

Finland has maintained its previous score in the latest CPI, although its current rating is still three points below the peak of 90 it recorded in 2012.

Finland's Ministry of Justice recently reinforced the country's already extensive anti-graft efforts with the launch of its first anti-corruption strategy. But while incidences of corruption are generally very low in the country, dubious dealings still occur, particularly in relation to structural corruption using unofficial social networks and the misuse of insider information, according to the Global Organized Crime Index.

Denmark's score remains unchanged from the previous CPI, topping the list with 90 points. The nation may be the world's least corrupt country and should be feted for its integrity, although that doesn't mean Denmark is entirely squeaky clean.

In March 2023, the OECD Working Group on Bribery called for the Nordic nation to urgently step up its efforts to fight foreign bribery, which the group deemed woefully insufficient. Whether change will happen or not remains to be seen...

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