New Zealand has once again retained its top position in the world’s anti-corruption rankings – a placing the country has held in six of the last eight years.
The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index(CPI) released by global anti-corruption organisation, Transparency International, ranks New Zealand first equal with Denmark and Finland, with a score of 88 out of 100.
Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany complete the top 10. Australia ranks at 73 whereas India averages at 40.
Justice Minister Kris Faafoi has welcomed news of New Zealand’s top position in anti-corruption rankings.
“This is an excellent score that New Zealanders can be proud of. While we’ve always done well in these rankings, it’s encouraging to see New Zealand retain the top spot – a placing we’ve held in six of the last eight years,” Kris Faafoi said.
“The honesty and integrity of our public service and judiciary have kept us at the top of the Corruption Perceptions Index once again.
“New Zealand has a well-deserved reputation for being relatively free of corruption, with a high level of public trust in government built on a foundation of transparency.
“While the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Corruption Perceptions Index won’t be seen for another year or two, the Government’s strong response strengthens our standing as a safe and fair country to live in and do business with,” Kris Faafoi said.
The CPI index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people. It relies on 13 independent data sources and uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.
More than two-thirds of countries (68 per cent) score below 50 and the average global score remains static at 43. Since 2012, 25 countries significantly improved their scores, but in the same period 23 countries significantly declined.
The Transparency International 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index can be found here.
Just proof that they haven’t caught them yet !!!???