Singapore ties with Finland, Sweden and Switzerland as 3rd least corrupt nations: TI

SINGAPORE has emerged third in an annual global ranking of countries that are perceived by experts and businesses to be the least corrupt in 2020.

According to Transparency International's (TI) Corruptions Perceptions Index (CPI) released on Thursday, Singapore received a score of 85 among 180 countries worldwide. Singapore shares the third least corrupt spot with Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, each scoring 85 as well. Denmark and New Zealand were the top countries on the CPI, with scores of 88.

The index measures perceived levels of public sector corruption globally, rating countries on a scale from 100, which is very clean, to zero, which is highly corrupt.

Within the Asia-Pacific, Singapore was second to New Zealand. The two nations were the only ones in the region that made it to the top 10 least corrupt in the world.

Denis Tang, director of the Corrupt Practices Investigations Bureau (CPIB), said Singapore’s success comes from the public’s vigilance and resolve in keeping corruption at bay as a nation.

"We must not let our guard down in our fight against corruption despite the disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic," Mr Tang said.   

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The corruption situation in Singapore remains well under control, CPIB said. The annual corruption statistics released by the bureau showed the number of corruption-related reports received by the CPIB has been on a downward trend. The number of public sector corruption cases has remained low over the years.

Beside TI's CPI,  the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy has ranked Singapore as the least corrupt country in its 2020 Report on Perceptions of Corruption in Asia, the US and Australia, a position the city-state has held since 1995.  In the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2020, Singapore was also ranked third for absence of corruption in public office, the top Asian nation out of 128 countries ranked.

New Zealand and Singapore were followed by Australia (77) and Hong Kong (77). Conversely, Cambodia (21), Afghanistan (19) and North Korea (18) earned the lowest scores in the region, which had an average score of 45.

The US scored 67, reaching its lowest position on the CPI since 2012. The administration's challenges to oversight of the unprecedented US$1 trillion Covid-19 relief package raised serious anti-corruption concerns and marked a significant retreat from long-standing democratic norms promoting accountable government, TI said.

Western Europe and the European Union emerged the highest performing region, with an average score of 66. But TI noted that the Covid-19 is exerting unexpected pressure on the integrity systems of many countries there.