Transparency international corruption index database
Transparency International has recently been reviewing the impact of the Corruption Perceptions Index and ways to improve the application of surveys to raise public understanding of corruption. One result has been the inclusion of 99 countries this year, compared to 85 last year and 52 in 1997. The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. This year, the index found that more than two-thirds of countries score below 50, with an average score of 43. Rampant Corruption in Arab States. In a region stricken by violent conflicts and dictatorships, corruption remains endemic in the Arab states while assaults on freedom of expression, press freedoms and civil society continue to escalate.