Two thirds of countries “have high corruption risk”

Malaysia has dropped four places in the Corruption Perception Index. That’s one point higher than last year, but the score has basically remained at the same level for seven straight years since 2008.

For 2015, the country got a score of 39 points, up from the 38 points it was given in 2013 and 2014. The top spot was taken by Denmark, with a score of 91. India shares its rank along with six other countries: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Thailand, Tunisia and Zambia.

The index measured the performance of 168 countries and it shows that more countries improved their scores than those that declined from their 2014 scores.

Two-thirds of the 168 countries scored below 50, indicating that corruption continued to be a widespread problem. The CPI 2015 showed that people working together can succeed in the battle against corruption.

Atop the rankings are Denmark, Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, Netherlands and Norway but the report says “not one single country, anywhere in the world, is corruption-free” and numerous best-ranking countries have dodgy records overseas and some have faced accusations of worldwide violations.

The anti-corruption NGO released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index today, which found that public sector corruption is still widespread and deeply entrenched around the world.

In a press statement Wednesday, Transparency International said corruption still persists but many more countries have improved on　the issue.

Fighting corruption must be a higher priority for the next government, Transparency International said.

Transparency International chief Jose Ugaz delivers a speech at the International Anti-Corruption Conference in Putrajaya, September 2, 2015.

According to the anti-corruption agency, Somalia received 8 points and has been listed at the bottom of the table alongside the North Korea. Brazil was the biggest decliner, dropping 7 positions to rank 76 in 2015. A score of 0 means highly corrupt country whereas a score of 100 means very clean country.