Most Corrupt Countries in the World

Corruption and economic turmoil often go hand in-hand. In western nations like the United States
and many European countries, we often see corruption come to light as the result of whistleblowers or journalistic efforts. But in many other areas of the world, however, corruption plays a major role in fostering staggering poverty and broken economic systems in a much more blatant way.


Oftentimes, specific power structures and
government architectures provide an easier
means for corrupt politicians, businessmen, or
military officials to exploit the system. Many
governments have their roots in constitutions
from generations ago, and have outgrown their
current systems. Many other countries are ruled
by a variety of independent tribal leaders and
often lack a centralized power structure with any
meaningful sway.

Transparency International developed a
comprehensive list of the world's most corrupt
nations last year, and the countries that top the
list probably won't come as much of a surprise to many. The study ranks countries on a scale from 0 to 100, with zero being the most corrupt, and 100 being the least.


Of course, corruption comes in a variety of forms, so getting a precise gauge is difficult. But
perception itself is a very strong tool, and can
have a big effect on its own. If the study reveals
anything, it's that the world overall has a huge
issue in terms of corrupt officials. By looking at
the Corruptions Perception Index, along with the
existing power structures and economic systems
within each country, the picture does become a
bit clearer. That's why we dug a little deeper,
examining the rankings for ourselves.
Although not among the top ten, we've included
the United States on the list to give perspective as to where America ranks internationally in terms of corruption and economic strife.

By Transparency International's calculations and scale, the U.S. is sitting fairly pretty, although it's common knowledge that there are definitely issues with how things are run in Washington. Other countries you might expect to see like Russia, Mexico, or Venezuela all have their places as well, and thefull list of 177 nations can be viewed straight at the source from Transparency International. Here are the most corrupt nations in the world, as ranked by Transparency International, with additional insight into the issues and factors plaguing each one.