Corruption Perceptions Index 2021

REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS While corruption takes vastly different forms from country to country, this year’s scores reveal that all parts of the globe are at a standstill when it comes to fighting public sector corruption. RESULTS BY REGION Average regional scores, with top and bottom performers in each region. AMERICAS Average score Top: Canada (74/100) Bottom: Venezuela (14/100) 43 MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA Average score Top: United Arab Emirates (69/100) Bottom: Syria (13/100) 39 WESTERN EUROPE & EU Average score Top: Denmark, Finland (88/100) Bottom: Bulgaria (42/100) 66 EASTERN EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA Average score Top: Georgia (55/100) Bottom: Turkmenistan (19/100) 36 ASIA PACIFIC Average score Top: New Zealand (88/100) Bottom: North Korea, Afghanistan (16/100) 45 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Average score Top: Seychelles (70/100) Bottom: South Sudan (11/100) 33 At the top of the CPI, countries in Western Europe and the European Union (EU) continue to wrestle with transparency and accountability in their response to COVID-19, threatening the region’s clean image. In parts of Asia Pacific, the Americas, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, increasing restrictions on accountability measures and basic civil freedoms allow corruption to go unchecked, and even historically high-performing countries are showing signs of decline. In the Middle East and North Africa, the interests of a powerful few continue to dominate the political and private sphere, and the limitations placed on civil and political freedoms are blocking any significant progress. In Sub- Saharan Africa, armed conflict, violent transitions of power and increasing terrorist threats combined with poor enforcement of anti-corruption commitments rob citizens of their basic rights and services. CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX 2021 11