Israel rose to 30th place in Transparency International's 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), up from 32nd place in 2009, although its score was unchanged at 6.1 out of 10. Israel again tied with Spain this year.
Israel was ranked 33rd in 2008, with a score of 6, and was ranked 30th in 2007, with a score of 6.1. This year's rankings covered 178 countries.
The top (least corrupt) countries in 2010 are almost all OECD member states. Denmark, New Zealand, and Singapore tied for first place, with a score of 9.3. They are followed by Finland and Sweden, with a score of 9.2; the Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland, and Norway.
Among the 33 OECD member states, Israel is in 22nd place, ahead of Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Italy, Greece, and others.
Israel also outranks its neighbors, with the exception of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Jordan is in 50th place with a score of 4.7, Egypt is in 98th place, Syria is in 127th place, and Iraq is in 175th place.
75% of the 178 countries in Transparency International's CPI scored less than 5, indicating prevalent corruption of public officials.
Shvil Transparency International Israel general director Galia Sagi said, "When we review the results of the CPI over several years, we can see that Israel's position has been stable for the past two years in terms of perceptions of corruption. Nonetheless, we should remember that the struggle against corruption is a daily struggle. The government should apply anti-corruption policies at every level of its activity."
Sagi added, "The general picture that emerges from the CPI is that corruption is a global problem, and governments should implement the UN Convention against Corruption in order to prevent another global crisis."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 26, 2010
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2010