The anti-corruption group Transparency International annually publishes a “corruption perceptions index,” which measures the level of government corruption in each country.
In the latest index, which was released in November, the majority of the 180 countries analyzed scored below five on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption).
The highest scorers in the 2009 CPI are New Zealand at 9.4, Denmark at 9.3, Singapore and Sweden tied at 9.2 and Switzerland at 9.0.
U.S. The United States was at 7.5, just below the the United Kingdom.
The countries in Latin America scored as follows:
- Chile 6.7
- Uruguay 6.7
- Puerto Rico 5.8
- Costa Rica 5.3
- Cuba 4.4
- Brazil 3.7
- Colombia 3.7
- Peru 3.7
- El Salvador 3.4
- Guatemala 3.4
- Panama 3.4
- Mexico 3.3
- Dominican Republic 3.0
- Argentina 2.9
- Bolivia 2.7
- Honduras 2.5
- Nicaragua 2.5
- Ecuador 2.2
- Paraguay 2.1
- Venezuela 1.9
I was surprised to see how poorly Argentina scored. For one thing, it has the second highest GDP in South America (behind Brazil).
A recent story in the New York Times about North Americans who are purchasing real estate in Nicaragua cited the country’s low CPI score. Referring “to incessant traffic shakedowns and bribery attempts performed on gringos by police patrolling the roads,” the story quoted one of the purchasers as saying “if you drive to Managua, it is very unlikely that you won’t be pulled over.”
How do these government corruption scores match up with your own experiences in these countries?
on Jan 7th, 2010 at 6:56 am
Very interesting. We reside in Chile. I am certainly not surprised to see them at the top of the list. The police are quite professional and my experience with government entities here has been great.
I recently returned from Argentina and one does get the impression that the police are a bit more lax. Airport and customs as well. Cuba’s score is interesting. There is such tight control (bordering on criminal) over segments of that government that being relatively non-corrupt is a relative concept in of itself. Hard to measure I would think.
Venezuela, no surprise, as with the others at the bottom unfortunately.
on Jan 7th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
I’m unsurprised by Ecuador’s poor showing. While there, I witnessed corruption in everyday business dealings and of course when dealing with government agencies. Tipping is one thing in touristic locations, and I’ll gladly do this in the knowledge that American-style tipping can help private-sector service workers take home a bit more for their large families. But it’s disconcerting to see government workers flubbing documents for $5-$10. I don’t want to disparage the Ecuadorian people, by any means, but I think the tolerance for this must change along with the practice of bribery. It’s an uphill battle!
on Jan 7th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Argentina’s poor showing does not surprise me in the least. Sadly, this country is rife with corruption. Any economic successes that the Argentines can claim are in spite of the government and its policies, not because of them.