Countries’ drop in scores in annual table comes amid ‘worrying trend’ of backsliding in established democracies

The UK and US have sunk to new lows in a global index of corruption, amid a “worrying trend” of democratic institutions being eroded by political donations, cash for access and state targeting of campaigners and journalists.

Experts and businesspeople rated 182 countries based on their perception of corruption levels in the public sector to compile a league table that was bookended by Denmark at the top with the lowest levels of corruption and South Sudan at the bottom.

The Corruption Perceptions Index, organised by the campaign group Transparency International, identified an overall global deterioration, as 31 countries improved their score, while 50 declined.

In particular, the report identified backsliding in established democracies, warning that events during Donald Trump’s presidency and the revelations contained in the Epstein files could fuel further deterioration.

  • ftmpch@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    20 days ago

    I think the word “perceptions” in the name of that index is important.

    This index is telling us how corrupt the general public think the government is, which isn’t necessarily how corrupt the government actually is. It seems to me that it’s more a measure of how effective anti-government propaganda is,