Transparency International has released its 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). The report examines 180 countries, each rated on a 100-point scale. The authors point out that the corruption problem has not changed much worldwide: “The CPI global average remains unchanged at 43 for the twelfth year in a row.” The country with the lowest score (11) is Somalia. The top country was Denmark, with a score of 90. It has held the top spot for six years. The United States ranked 24th with a score of 69. (The U.S. government is currently involved in 15 secret wars.)
The rank of countries and territories is based on perceptions of corruption, using data from 13 external sources. These include the World Bank, World Economic Forum, private risk managers, consulting companies, and nonprofit think tanks. The scores are not based on the general public’s view. Instead, the poll results reflect the views of experts and businesspeople. Scores are further based on yardsticks that include bribery, the ability of governments to control corruption, and laws that make public officials report conflicts of interest. The entire methodology is here.
About Somalia
Source: John Moore / Getty Images News via Getty Images
Somalia is an extremely poor country and one that has suffered from civil war. According to the World Factbook (formerly the CIA World Factbook), Somalia has 12.6 million residents. It is on Africa’s east coast, bordered by Ethiopia and Kenya, and on the other side by the Arabian Sea. The Factbook’s evaluation: “Somalia scores very low for most humanitarian indicators, suffering from poor governance, protracted internal conflict, underdevelopment, economic decline, poverty, social and gender inequality, and environmental degradation.”
At 56 years, life expectancy ranks 225th based on all nations covered by the Factbook. Gross domestic product per capita ranks 227th at $1,100.
Based on the metrics used by Transparency International, Somalis is likely to remain at or near the bottom of its CPI indefinitely.
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