• India has been ranked at 79th spot out of 176 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the year 2016 released on January 25, 2017 by the Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI).
• New Zealand and Denmark jointly shared the first position as the least corrupt nations while Somalia was rated as the most corrupt country in the list.

Highlight of 2016 Corruption Perception Index

India scored 40 points out of 100 to be placed at 79th spot. Thus the country has improved its position from the previous year by 3 points. In 2015, India scored 38 points.

• However the rank slipped from 76 in 2015 to 79 in 2016.  But since eight more countries were evaluated in 2016 (176 countries) from previous 168 countries, the rank cannot be taken as the judgment base.
• Corruption Rank in India at an average was 75.32 from 1995 until 2016. The highest rank of India was 95 in 2011 and a record low of 35 in 1995.
• Besides, India has shared its 2016 ranking with two other countries, including China and Brazil each ranked 79th with a score of 40.
• Meanwhile Pakistan has been placed at 116 and Bhutan is ranked 27 on the list with a score of 65.
• While New Zealand and Denmark jointly ranked as the world’s least corrupt nations with a score of 90, Somalia was recognized as the most corrupt country in the world. Other most corrupt nations included South Sudan, North Korea and Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
• None of the country scored a perfect 100 and the global average was calculated at 43.
• The corruption watch dog stated that India’s rank below average states the country’s inability to effectively deal with small as well as large-scale corruption scandals.
• The impact of corruption on poverty, illiteracy and police brutality shows that not only the economy is growing but also inequality.
• The index also showed that majority of Asia Pacific countries were placed in the bottom half of the Corruption Perceptions Index 2016. Besides, 19 out of 30 countries in this region scored 40 or less out of 100.
• The study was based upon the data collected by World Bank, the World Economic Forum and other institutions to rank 176 countries according to the level of corruption prevalent in the country.
• The score ranges from 0-100 where 0 means highly corrupt and 100 means very clean.
• Transparency International’s ranking is acknowledged as a benchmark of perceptions of corruption and used by analysts and investors.

About Corruption Perception Index (CPI)

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is being published by the Transparency International (TI) since 1995.

• The CPI, which defines corruption as “the misuse of public power for private benefit”, annually ranks the countries by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.
• The CPI currently ranks 168 countries “on a scale from 100 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). However in 2016, 176 countries were taken into consideration.
• It is a composite index based on a combination of surveys and assessments of corruption, collected by a variety of reputable institutions like World Bank, the World Economic Forum and among others

About Transparency International (TI)

Transparency International (TI) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1993 and based in Berlin, Germany.

• Aim: To take action to combat corruption and prevent criminal activities arising from corruption.
• It publishes the Global Corruption Barometer and the Corruption Perceptions Index, Global Corruption Report and Bribe Payers Index.