Top 10 Most Corrupt Countries In The World 2022

Corruption is the dishonest and fraudulent conduct of those who are in power. The abuse of the power entrusted to them for private gain. Corruption erodes trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development and further exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division and the environmental crisis. Despite the many bad things that corruption can cause, it cannot be denied that many countries are still experiencing it until now…

The Corruption Perceptions Index or CPI is an index which ranks countries “by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys”. The index is published annually by the non-governmental organization called, Transparency International since 1995.

The 2021 CPI, published in January of year 2022, ranks 180 countries on a scale from 0 to 100. The lower the score, the more corrupt a country is considered to be, based on the situation between May 1 of year 2020 and April 30 of year 2021…and here are the list of the top 10 most corrupt countries in the world!

10. TURKMENISTAN

In the 2021 Index, Turkmenistan scored 19 out of 100 and ranked 169 out of 180 countries along with Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo. Now, Turkmenistan is considered to be the 10th most corrupted country in the world! Turkmenistan suffers from widespread corruption in every institution and across every sector of its economy. 

Bribery is required to obtain any kind of service or to secure a procurement contract, and maintaining close connections with government officials is imperative to doing business. The country’s public administration relies heavily on patronage networks. 

Large projects require a presidential decree, and procurement processes are generally carried out arbitrarily and with no oversight or regulation. Despite having the law “On Combatting Corruption” that criminalizes a range of corruption offenses, and having the public officials subject to a code of conduct, the country’s law enforcement is described being “very poor” with corruption investigations that are usually politically motivated. This is the reason why Turkmenistan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

9. EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Political corruption in Equatorial Guinea is high by world standards and considered among the ‘worst’ of any country on earth. 

It is described of being an almost perfect kleptocracy, in which the scale of systemic corruption and the rulers’ indifference towards the people’s welfare place it at the bottom of every major governance indicator or ranking, below nations with similar per capita GDPs. Corrupt Perception Index of 2021 shows that Equatorial Guinea scored 17 out of 100, making them the 9th most corrupted country in the world!

8. LIBYA

Having a score of 17 out of 100, and ranked 172 out of 180 countries, Libya is the 8th most corrupted country in the world! It is said that corruption in Libya began during Muammar Gaddafi’s rule from 1969 to 2011. 

Gaddafi’s regime received billions of dollars in bribes from wealthy corporations to make illegal deals in the energy sector. A total of 65 billion dollars of Libya’s wealth fund, the Libyan Investment Authority, was held in private accounts instead of going toward public expenditures. 

While Gaddafi’s regime was profiting off of Libya’s national assets, more than 40 percent of the Libyan population lived below the poverty line. Although Libya has anti-corruption laws, lax enforcement permits widespread corruption practices such as embezzlement and bribery among the public procurement sector.

7. AFGHANISTAN

Corruption is a widespread and growing problem in Afghan society. In Afghanistan today, corruption most often takes the form of demanding and offering bribes, both in the private and public sectors and on large and small scales. 

There are also many other major forms of corruption, including nepotism, graft, and illegal land transfers. The US Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction has estimated that over half of the nation’s annual customs revenue is lost to graft. 

Transparency International's 2021 CPI ranks the country in 174th place out of 180 countries, with a score of 16 out of 100. Making them the 7th most corrupt country in the world!

6. NORTH KOREA

North Korea's state media admitted widespread corruption in North Korea, when laying out the accusations against Jang Song-thaek after his execution in December of the 2013. 

The statement mentions bribery, deviation of materials, selling resources and land, securing funds and squandering money for private use by organizations under his control. With a CPI score of 16 out of 100, and being at the 174th rank along with two other countries, North Korea is now placed as the 6th most corrupt country in the world!

5. YEMEN

Corruption in Yemen is a highly serious problem. In fact, it is the most corrupt country in the Gulf region, and also the poorest country in the Middle East, having an exceptionally high birth rate, acute rates of child malnutrition and rapidly dwindling reserves of oil and water. 

Corruption in Yemen was so pervasive that it was credibly undermining the security and economy of the nation, according to Jane Marriot, the Britain’s ambassador to Yemen, in 2013. Transparency International’s CPI of 2021 shows that Yemen ranks 174th place out of 180 countries, with a score of 16 out of 100, and the 5th most corrupt country in the world.

4. VENEZUELA

The level of corruption in Venezuela is very high by world standards and is prevalent throughout many levels of Venezuelan society, and the discovery of oil in Venezuela in the early 20th century has worsened political corruption. 

Venezuela scored a 14 on a scale from to 100. When ranked by score, Venezuela ranks number 177 among the 180 countries in the Index. The large amount of corruption and mismanagement in the country has resulted in severe economic difficulties that is why it is now one of the world’s most corrupt countries.

3. SOMALIA

Somalia, along with Syria, ranked next-to-last, scoring 13 on the CPI on a scale from 0 to 100 in Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures the perception of public sector corruption of 180 countries around the world. 

Corruption is endemic in the country, which is often judged to be one of the most corrupt country in the world. Since 2006, Somalia has been consistently ranked last on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, scoring a mere 10 out of a maximum 100 in the 2016 edition.

2. SYRIA

Corruption in Syria follows the familiar patterns of state-based corruption, namely government officials abusing their political powers for private gain in the country. CPI 2021 of Transparency International ranked Syria as 178th among the 180 countries in the Index, along with Somalia, both scoring 13 out of 100, which is a scale where the highest-ranked countries are perceived to have the most dishonest public sector. Having said that, Syria is considered to be the second most corrupt country in the world!

1. SOUTH SUDAN

Corruption in South Sudan has been described as one of the worst cases in the world. The nation’s elites have developed a kleptocratic system that controls every part of the South Sudanese economy. It was ranked 180th in the 2021 CPI of Transparency International, making it the most corrupt country in the world! 

The nation has lacked any and all regulations to combat frauds and malfeasance among the senior government officials, especially among government procurement officials within the ministry of finance and economic planning, according to a member of parliament. 

The major corruption scandal since the beginning of self-rule has been the so-called “Dura Saga”—where South Sudan government paid nearly $1 million, according to a 2013 report by the Voice of America, for cereals that were never delivered. Although it is also said that there have been dozens of other significant instances of similar wrongdoing in the country of South Sudan.