On 11th February, Tuesday, Transparency International released the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), ranking 180 countries and territories around the world based on the level of corruption in their public sectors.
This report ranks countries on a scale from 0 to 100. Countries with a score of 0 are considered the most corrupt whereas countries with a score of 100 are considered fully transparent.
India’s ranking in Corruption Perceptions Index 2024:
In 2024, India's ranking stood at 96th place, which is three places down compared to last year. India has got 38 points out of 100 this year, while the country had scored 39 in 2023.
Previously, India got secured 40 points in 2022. These scores indicate that there has been a slight increase in the level of corruption in India in the last few years.
India's decline in ranking shows that more efforts are still needed to eliminate corruption in the country. The CPI 2024 report shows that corruption remains a global problem, which is not only affecting development but is also promoting human rights and environmental crisis.
Neighbouring countries' rankings in Corruption Index 2024:
The situation of India's neighbouring countries is also disappointing. Pakistan have secured 135th rank. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is ranked 121st, which shows a high level of corruption due to political and economic crises. Additionally, Bangladesh's ranking is 149th.
These figures show that the problem of corruption is very serious in the countries of South Asia.
Meanwhile, China has got 76th rank in CPI this year, this score is better to some extent, but still this country is facing a serious problem of corruption.
The CPI 2024 showed that the problem of corruption has increased globally. According to the report, more than two-thirds of countries have scored less than 50 out of 100, indicating that corruption has become a major global challenge.
The global average is stable at 43 points, which has remained the same for the last several years. This situation is affecting millions of people around the world, as corruption is undermining human rights and affecting development.
However, 32 countries have made improvements in their level of corruption since 2012. This change shows that some countries are making progress in reducing corruption, but eliminating it completely still remains a big challenge. The report also states that corruption has either remained stable or worsened in 148 countries.
Denmark has received the highest marks in the 2024 ranking. It is the most transparent country. It is followed by Finland and Singapore. These countries have been ranked at the top due to strict measures against corruption whereas the countries with the worst situation include Somalia, South Sudan and Syria.
Due to corruption around the world, countries are not implementing the necessary steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deal with environmental crises. This situation is promoting global temperature rise and environmental imbalance which is a big threat to the whole world. Some countries are improving, but many countries still need to take more steps in order to eliminate corruption.