More than half of the world's population believes corruption in the
public sector is a very serious problem. Liberia and Mongolia are the
two most corrupt countries in the world, according to a recent study. In
both countries, 86% of residents believe corruption in the public
sector is a very serious problem. Residents in the vast majority of
countries around the world believe corruption has only gotten worse in
the past two years.
Anti-corruption nonprofit Transparency
International has released its 2013 Global Corruption Barometer, which
surveyed residents in 107 countries. The world's corrupt nations differ
in many ways. Four are located in Africa, three in Latin America and two
in Asia. These nations also vary considerably in size and population.
Mongolia has just 3.2 million residents, while Mexico, Nigeria and
Russia are three of the largest countries on the globe, each with more
than 100 million people. Based on the percentage of surveyed residents
that reported corruption in the public sector is a very serious problem,
these are the world's most corrupt nations.
What many of these
nations do have in common is that their people are largely opposed to
corruption. Globally, 69% of people questioned by Transparency
International said they would report corruption if they encountered it.
In seven of the nine nations with the worst corruption, residents were
at least slightly more likely to oppose corruption. In Paraguay, one of
the countries with high corruption, 90% of citizens said they would
report corruption, while 87% and 86% said they would do so in Mexico and
Russia, respectively.
Many of those surveyed in the highly
corrupt countries also felt their governments were not holding up their
end of the bargain. In seven of the nine countries, more than half of
those questioned felt their government was ineffective at fighting
corruption. In Liberia, 86% of residents surveyed said their government
was ineffective at fighting the problem. This was the largest proportion
of any of the 107 nations Transparency International surveyed.
While
corruption appears to affect every part of the public sector, certain
segments were much worse than the rest. Globally, at least 60% of
respondents claimed political parties and police were corrupt.
Additionally, more than 50% of people stated their legislature, their
public officials and their judiciary were corrupt.
In the world's
most corrupt nations, those institutions were, naturally, even worse. In
Nigeria, 94% of people claimed their political parties were corrupt,
the most in the world. Similarly, 96% of Liberians reported their
legislature was corrupt, also the most in the world. In eight of the
nine most corrupt nations, more than 80% of residents considered the
police to be corrupt.
Many of these nations remain among the
world's less-developed, and they lack the resources of the United
States, Japan and the European Union nations. Among the most corrupt
nations, only Mexico, Russia and Venezuela had an estimated gross
domestic product (GDP) per capita over $10,000 in 2012. None were among
the top 50 nations measured in GDP per capita. By comparison, the U.S.
per capita GDP was estimated to be nearly $50,000.
Based on
figures published by Transparency International, 24/7 Wall St.
determined the nations with the highest percentage of respondents who
claimed corruption was a very serious problem. Transparency
International also provided other figures on corruption perception. Data
on GDP by nation came from the International Monetary Fund. Population
statistics are from The CIA World Factbook.
9. Zambia
- Pct. saying corruption very serious: 77%
- Pct. claiming public officials corrupt: 65% (41st highest)
- Pct. claiming police corrupt: 92% (tied f0r 4th highest)
- 2012 GDP per capita: $1,722
In
September 2011, Zambia held elections that resulted in the election of
President Michael Sata. Since Sata's victory, several officials from the
past administration, including former President Rupiah Banda, have been
arrested for corruption. Complicating matters, many of the corruption
allegations relate to government officials receiving improper benefits
from Chinese investors, who are unpopular in much of the country yet
provide direct investment and jobs. Zambia's residents are poor, with an
estimated GDP per capita of just $1,722 in 2012, versus nearly $50,000
in the United States. An extremely high 85% of residents claimed they
had been asked to pay a bribe in the past.
8. Nigeria
- Pct. saying corruption very serious: 78%
- Pct. claiming public officials corrupt: 69% (28th highest)
- Pct. claiming police corrupt: 92% (tied for 4th highest)
- 2012 GDP per capita: $2,720
In
Nigeria, 84% of those surveyed by Transparency International claimed
corruption had increased in the past two years, a higher percentage than
almost any other country in the world. Troublingly, 75% of those
surveyed also said the government was, at best, ineffective at fighting
corruption, worse than in all but 10 countries. Nigeria is heavily
dependent on the oil industry, yet the government refuses to act on
accusations the oil companies underreporting the value of the resources
they extract and the tax they owe by billions of dollars. Certain
transparency groups also blamed politicians for encouraging corruption.
In 2012, Nigeria had just the 37th largest GDP in the world, despite
having the world's seventh largest population.
7. Russia
- Pct. saying corruption very serious: 79% (tied for 5th highest)
- Pct. claiming public officials corrupt: 92% (the highest)
- Pct. claiming police corrupt: 89% (10th highest)
- 2012 GDP per capita: $17,709
According
to 82% of individuals surveyed, it is important to have personal
contacts to get anything done in Russia's public sector. Additionally,
85% of Russians stated the government was run by just a few large
entities for their own best interests. The only two other countries
where residents were more likely to feel this way were Lebanon and
Cyprus. The latter was known until recently as a haven for Russian
oligarchs' money. These hyper-wealthy individuals often have close
political ties, which allowed many to become wealthy during Russia's
post-Soviet privatization.
6. Paraguay
- Pct. saying corruption very serious: 79% (tied for 5th highest)
- Pct. claiming public officials corrupt: 58% (55th highest)
- Pct. claiming police corrupt: 82% (26th highest)
- 2012 GDP per capita: $6,136
In
few nations were personal connections considered to be more important
than in Paraguay. As many as 88% of the country's residents said such
contacts were important in getting things done within the public sector,
a higher proportion than all but two other countries worldwide. This
was also the reasoning behind the majority of bribes, with 63% of all
such payments going toward speeding up a service. Worse, 78% of
residents noted that their government had been either ineffective or
very ineffective at fighting corruption, one of the highest proportions
worldwide.
5. Mexico
- Pct. saying corruption very serious: 79% (tied for 5th highest)
- Pct. claiming public officials corrupt: 87% (3rd highest)
- Pct. claiming police corrupt: 90% (8th highest)
- 2012 GDP per capita: $15,312
Globally,
53% of individuals surveyed by Transparency International claimed that
corruption had risen in the past two years. However, in Mexico, that
figure was 71% as the country's citizens have become less tolerant of
corruption. In addition, 72% of those polled stated the Mexican
government was ineffective in fighting corruption, while 78% claimed
that having personal contacts was either important or very important in
getting the public sector to be helpful. Last year, the Institutional
Revolutionary Party (PRI) won elections nationwide to return to power
despite previous allegations of heavy corruption. In a July 2012
article, Time magazine described corruption as "the stubborn remnant of
the PRI's seven decades of authoritarian rule that is at the heart of
the drug lords' ability to operate in Mexico."
4. Zimbabwe
- Pct. saying corruption very serious: 81%
- Pct. claiming public officials corrupt: 70% (25th highest)
- Pct. claiming police corrupt: 86% (15th highest)
- 2012 GDP per capita: $559
Roughly
77% of those surveyed claimed that corruption in Zimbabwe had risen in
the past two years, a higher percentage than in all but a few other
countries. Potentially contributing to this rise, longtime President
Robert Mugabe failed to keep past elections free from violence and
voting irregularities. Mugabe's opponent is likely far more popular with
the people, but the upcoming elections on July 31 could still end up
rigged in the Mugabe's favor. More than three-quarters of residents
stated that the government was run largely or entirely by a few entities
acting in their own best interests.
3. Venezuela
- Pct. saying corruption very serious: 83%
- Pct. claiming public officials corrupt: 79% (9th highest)
- Pct. claiming police corrupt: 83% (24th highest)
- 2012 GDP per capita: $13,616
Venezuela's
long-ruling socialist president, Hugo Chavez, passed away in March.
Corruption was a concern in Venezuela since before Chavez's first
election victory in 1998. His chosen successor, Nicolas Maduro, has
vowed to end corruption, which has often been associated with
Venezuela's socialist government. Before April's presidential election,
opposition candidate Henrique Capriles claimed that nationalization of
private businesses allowed public officials to control major industries
for personal profit. In Venezuela, 79% of respondents said their
nation's political officials were corrupt, among the highest percentages
in the world.
2. Mongolia
- Pct. saying corruption very serious: 86% (tied for the highest)
- Pct. claiming public officials corrupt: 77% (12th highest)
- Pct. claiming police corrupt: 66% (49th highest)
- 2012 GDP per capita: $5,372
Mongolia
had one of the world's fastest growing economies in 2012, when its GDP
rose an estimated 12.3%, according to the IMF. But corruption has been
identified by USAID as a critical threat to the country's continued
growth as well as to its democracy. Corruption has become pervasive in
the country, after "rapid transition to democracy and a market economy
created huge demands on bureaucracy that lacks the [means] to prevent
corruption," according to the organization. Encouragingly, less than
half of all people surveyed in the country said that corruption had
increased in the past two years, versus 53% of respondents worldwide.
Also, while 77% of people considered public officials to be corrupt,
just 12% believed the country's government to be run by a few large,
purely self-interested entities.
1. Liberia
- Pct. saying corruption very serious: 86% (tied for the highest)
- Pct. claiming public officials corrupt: 67% (35th highest)
- Pct. claiming police corrupt: 94% (3rd highest)
- 2012 GDP per capita: $673
The
vast majority of Liberians surveyed said they believed the country was
run either largely or entirely by a few entities acting in their own
self-interest. A world-leading 86% of residents who spoke to
Transparency International claimed their government had been either
ineffective or very ineffective at fighting corruption, while 96% of
residents claimed Liberia's legislature was corrupt, also the highest
percentage of any nation. A stunning 75% of residents surveyed claimed
they had paid a bribe to secure some service, trailing only Sierra
Leone. In all, 80% of the population had at one point been asked to pay a
bribe. Recently, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf fired the country's
auditor general for corruption.
Source
usatoday
