Singapore in 3rd Place Among Least Corrupted Countries Issued by Transparency International’s 2018
Singapore has climbed to the third spot behind Denmark and New Zealand as the top countries with the least corruption within the public sector.
Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Perception Index relies on a scale which starts from zero to 100. Zero being highly corrupted, and 100 being very clean. Singapore managed to score an 85 on this scale for the 2018 report, thereby placing it in the third place as among the least corrupted countries in the world.
According to Transparency International’s report, most countries globally were failing to reign in corruption significantly. In a similar report published in 2017, more than two-thirds of the countries in its report pulled in a score of below 50, with the average hovering around 43. Only 20 countries since 2012 have successfully improved their scores, which included Ivory Coast and Estonia. 16 other countries have significantly declined in their scores, including Malta, Chile, and Australia.
The report also highlighted that the United States has dropped out of the top 20 countries on the index for the first time since 2011. The US scored 71 points at a time when it was experiencing threats to its system of checks and balances, and an erosion of ethical norms at the highest levels.
Singapore Successfully Improved On Its Score Since 2017, Climbing To 85
Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index began back in 1995. The index ranked 180 countries and territories in the world based on their perceived levels of public sector corruption. Drawing on 13 surveys and expert assessments was how this report derived a score for each country on the index. Singapore successfully improved on its score since 2017, climbing to 85, which tied it with Switzerland, Sweden and Finland. Denmark was the current leader with a score of 88, followed closely behind by New Zealand with a score of 87.
The Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau (CPIB) continues to recognise Singapore’s public sector as the cleanest and among the most efficient in the world. Incidences of public sector corruption continue to remain low, according to the department, and it also noted that the country was in good standing, which was attested to by other global indicators. One of these indicators was the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy’s 2018 Report on Corruption in Asia, in which Singapore was listed as the least corrupted country in the region. This was a position it has held since 1995. This was largely thanks to Singapore’s strong legal framework, which was steadfast against fighting corruption, an effort which Singapore takes very seriously indeed as it continues to work to stamp out corruption.
