Iran Falls to 138th Rank in Financial Corruption in World According to Fresh ‘Transparency International’ Report
A fresh report from ‘Transparency International’ shows that Iran ranked 138th among 180 countries in the world in 2018 in terms of financial corruption, its extent, and efforts to combat it; this is Iran’s worst ranking in recent years.
The Transparency International organization releases an annual report on the status of countries worldwide; in this report, the corruption index ranges from one to one hundred for countries. A score of zero applies to ‘highly corrupt’ countries and a score of one hundred belongs to ‘transparent’ countries.
Iran’s index in 2018 was considered 28. In 2017, this index for Iran was 30, in 2016 it was 29, and a year before that it was 27. Iran’s ranking compared to other countries has also worsened over the past three years. Last year this ranking was 130 and a year before that it was 131.
In 2013, Iran ranked 144th in the world (in a report released in December 2013).
Fereydoun Khavand, an economic expert and analyst, in explaining the performance of the ‘Transparency International’ organization, says this institution uses a measure called the ‘Corruption Perception Index’ to measure the phenomenon of financial corruption in countries.
This index is prepared based on surveys of managers and government management, consultations with economic actors and those who are experts in a country’s affairs. Similarly, from this organization’s perspective, financial corruption means ‘misuse’ of political and governmental positions with the aim of gaining material and personal benefits.
This international non-governmental organization headquartered in Berlin notes that none of the countries that have a democratic system have received a score lower than fifty points, and also, a country that does not have this type of political system rarely receives more than 50 points.
Transparency International had previously emphasized that legal inspection tools, the extent of law enforcement, the existence of independent media, and an active civil society are among the necessary prerequisites for fighting corruption and bribery.
The fresh report from the German organization shows that more than two-thirds of the 180 countries reviewed received a score of less than 50 points.
The most transparent countries are: first, Denmark (88 points), second, New Zealand, third, Finland, Singapore, Sweden, and Switzerland. Among these countries, only Singapore does not have an open and democratic system and ranks 151st globally in the media freedom rankings by ‘Reporters Without Borders’.
At the lowest ranking – or in other words, the worst country in terms of ‘Corruption Perception Index’ – is Somalia, followed by Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, and North Korea.
Among countries that have made good progress this year are Estonia, Senegal, and Guinea. Countries that have declined include Australia, Chile, Turkey, and Mexico. Transparency International has placed the United States, Czech Republic, Brazil, and Hungary on a ‘watch list’. The United States currently ranks 22nd with 71 out of 100 points.
Among Iran’s neighboring countries, Afghanistan ranks 172nd with 16 points, Saudi Arabia ranks 58th with 49 points, and Iraq ranks 168th with 18 points. Japan ranks 18th in the world, China ranks 87th, Russia (like Iran) ranks 138th, and India ranks 78th.
Source: Radio Farda
