The Most Corrupt Countries In the World (IPC Rankings)

Do you wish to know the most corrupt countries in the world? In this post, we will list 16 countries with the most corrupt government according to CPI.

If you have been thinking Nigeria is the most corrupt country in the world, you will be surprised by the figures of the NGO Transparency International, which since 1995 has annually released the Corruption Perception Index (IPC), the main indicator of corruption worldwide. The scale ranges from 0 to 100 – 0 being very corrupt and 100 not being corrupt. The study is done in 180 countries.

In our recent posts on corruption, we talked about the most corrupt countries in Africa which you really need to check on and also you will find out that Nigeria is the 14th most corrupt country in Africa.

As a comparison, the least corrupt country in the world in Denmark, with 87 points. The most corrupt is Somalia, with just 9 points.

The CPI is based on a rigorous methodology. It uses data from several sources and turns the perception of experts and the private sector into corruption in the public sector of the country surveyed into numbers. There is no specific data on the most corrupt presidents in the world.

16. Cambodia (Asia)

Grade: 20

Cambodia made it on our list of the most corrupt countries in the world based on the sad history of this co. The dictatorship experienced by the country in the 1970s persecuted opponents maintained concentration camps and perpetrated a true genocide, victimizing about 2 million people.

Since 1985, the country has been run by Prime Minister Hun Sen. With the main opposition party in illegality, authoritarianism continues in the country.

15. Turkmenistan (Central Asia)

Score: 19

Turkmenistan is one of the most authoritarian countries in the world. Everything is watched over there, in the same way as the former Soviet Union. There is the persecution of Christians, with monitoring of religious services.

There is no freedom of assembly or freedom of the press. It would be no wonder that in such a centralized and oppressive regime there was a lot of corruption and that has been the reason why it was listed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world by CPI.

14. Congo (Africa)

Score: 19

It is easy to confuse the Republic of Congo with its much larger neighbour, the Democratic Republic of Congo, but it is a different country. Congo joins that list because, since its independence from France, the country has suffered from repressive government, fraudulent elections and some civil wars.

13. Burundi (Africa)

Score: 19

Along with its northern neighbour, Rwanda, Burundi was the scene of genocide in the 1990s, because of the rivalry between two tribes that live in the country: the Hutu and the Tutsi.

Currently, the country is no longer at war, but poverty, political repression and the lack of space for the large population have increased corruption.

12. Guinea-Bissau (Africa)

Grade: 18

Guinea-Bissau is a small country but with many different cultures and languages. Since its independence from Portugal, in 1974, the country has suffered from a lot of political instability and several coups d’état.

Although Guinea-Bissau is a major cashew exporter to the world, it still has a lot of poverty.

11. Democratic Republic of Congo (Africa)

Grade: 18

The recent history of the Democratic Republic of Congo (ex-Zaire) is marked by a lot of political instability. Despite the agreement reached between political groups in 2003, the problems continued. 

To make matters worse, the country has faced a constant threat since the 1970s: Ebola.

10. Haiti (Central America)

Grade: 18

At the end of 2019, 15 years after the arrival of the blue helmets in Haiti, the UN peacekeeping mission was completed. 

But, judging by the series of protests provoked by insecurity, fuel shortages, hunger and corruption, it seems that the political and social crisis is still far from over.

9. North Korea (Asia)

Score: 17

Known for being the most closed country in the world, North Korea makes news mainly because of its (possible) nuclear weapons. Power is all in the hands of the country’s dictator, who can do whatever he wants, and the elite lives well at the expense of the misery of the majority of the population.

 If this were the ranking of the most oppressive countries, perhaps North Korea would dispute the 1st place …

8. Afghanistan (Middle East)

Grade: 16

Most people know Afghanistan because of the United States’ war on terrorists in the region. But the country was one of the first major centres of civilization and is still an important place in Asia today.

The war and problems with the Taliban have given a lot of room for corruption and many officials receive bribes.

7. Sudan (Africa)

Grade: 16

South of Egypt, Sudan was also the stage for a powerful kingdom that built pyramids and even conquered the land of the pharaohs! In 2011, Sudan ceased to be the largest country in Africa because South Sudan separated from the rest of the country after a bloody war.

 Both sides have been fighting for religious reasons and for the control of natural resources, including the region’s oil.

6. Equatorial Guinea (Africa)

Grade: 16

Equatorial Guinea is the smallest country in Africa and also the only one in that continent that has Spanish as its official language. The country has large reserves of oil but only a small part of the population benefits from the profits. 

The government led by Teodoro Obiang Nguema, in power since 1979! – has a reputation for repressing the opposition and not organizing free elections.

5. Venezuela (South America)

Grade: 16

If it weren’t for the chaos in the country, Venezuela would be a great place for any nature lover to visit. But the country is also known for having the highest number of murders, an increasingly oppressive regime and a lot of social instability. 

The country has lost some positions in the ranking of corruption in recent years and today is already among the 5 most corrupt in the world.

4. Yemen (Middle East)

Score: 15

Throughout history, Yemen was an important place, where several trade routes between Asia, Africa and the Middle East intersected. Despite being one of the few democratic republics in the region, corruption in Yemen has increased due to the civil war, a coup and tensions with Saudi Arabia.

3. Syria (Middle East)

Score: 13

Right now, Syria is being used as a stage for various international conflicts. There are not only two sides to the war, there are several groups with different interests and everyone is playing dirty. 

At the beginning of 2020, when entering the 10th year of the war, the Syrians already counted almost 400 thousand victims.

2. South Sudan (Africa)

Score: 12

Created in 2011, South Sudan is (for now) the youngest country in the world! But the war of independence waged with the other Sudan did not solve the country’s problems. 

There is a lot of poverty and the government (which is dealing with a civil war) is repressive. The youngest state in the world still has a long way to go …

1. Somalia (Africa)

Grade: 9

Is there a greater symbol of corruption than a pirate? Since ancient times, Somalia has been a centre for sea navigation and, today, it has made news because of its modern pirates that plague the sea.

Somalia is the most corrupt country in the world and the Civil war/extreme poverty has devastated the country, which was once a cultural centre in the region.

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