Iraq jumps to 140th in global transparency; 8th in Arab world corruption

Shafaq News/ Iraq has improved to 140th place globally in transparency index while ranking eighth among the most corrupt countries in the Arab world in 2024.

In its report released on Tuesday, Transparency International stated that the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks 180 countries and regions worldwide based on public sector corruption levels. The index rates countries on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very transparent).

Denmark reportedly ranked first as the least corrupt and most transparent country with 90 points, followed by Finland in second place with 88 points, Singapore in third with 84 points, New Zealand, which dropped one rank, in fourth with 83 points, and Luxembourg in fifth with 81 points.

"Iraq ranked 140th globally with a score of 26, improving by three points from 2023, and placed eighth among the most corrupt Arab countries, following Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Eritrea, and Lebanon," the organization affirmed.

The UAE topped the Arab world, ranking 68th globally among the most transparent nations, followed by Qatar in second, Saudi Arabia in third, Oman in fourth, and Bahrain in fifth. South Sudan, Somalia, Venezuela, Syria, and Yemen ranked as the most corrupt countries.

Notably, Transparency International publishes an annual corruption report, ranking countries from most to least corrupt on a 0-to-100 scale, based on data collected from 13 international organizations, including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.