Shafaq News/ Iraq ranked seventh among the most corrupt Arab countries and 154th out of 180 in terms of transparency worldwide. According to the Transparency International report in 2023.
based on the corruption perception index (CPI), Iraq's corruption levels were found to be similar to those of Somalia, Syria, South Sudan, Venezuela, and Yemen, which were the most corrupt countries at the bottom of the ranking.
The report highlighted that many Arab countries have not seen improvements in their corruption rankings for over a decade, which affects the people's access to basic services, such as health and education, and even their right to live. The report attributed this issue to political corruption which has weakened anti-corruption efforts in the region, saying "Arab countries often break their promises to fight corruption, and new governments often neglect the initiatives, losing momentum".
Furthermore, the report pointed out that the current anti-corruption plans in the region are more reactive than preventive. Many countries have established laws and policies but have not effectively implemented and supported systematic actions to combat corruption with the necessary tools for enforcement and prevention.
On a positive note, Denmark topped the list as the world's least corrupt and most transparent country with 90 points, followed by Finland with 87 points in second place, then New Zealand with 85 points in third place, and Norway with 84 points in fourth place.
Notably, the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) measures how corrupt the public sector is in 180 countries and territories, from zero (very corrupt) to 100 (very clean). This index has been a key global tool for tracking public sector corruption since 1995, utilizing data from 13 sources, including the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and private firms, to gauge how experts and businesspeople perceive corruption in the public sector.