Context:
Recently, India held the 93rd position among 180 nations in the Corruption Perceptions Index for the year 2023.
India’s Ranking and Related Concerns:
- India ranks 93 out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2023.
The overall score is 39, a slight decrease from 40 in 2022.
- It remains below both the Global average (43) and Asia-Pacific regional average (45).
- In 2022, India was ranked 85, thus indicating a drop in its corruption perception this year.
- India’s score fluctuations are minor, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about significant changes.
- The report highlights concern about the narrowing civic space in India, especially with the passage of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 that poses a grave threat to fundamental rights.
About Corruption Perceptions Index
- The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is a tool used to assess and compare the perceived levels of corruption in the public sector across countries and territories.
- It is published annually by Transparency International, a non-governmental organization focused on combating global corruption.
- It ranks 180 countries and territories based on their perceived corruption levels.
- It uses a scale of 0 to 100, where ‘0’ is highly corrupt and ‘100’ is very clean.
Other Highlights of the Report:
Top Performers: New Zealand (3) and Singapore (5) maintain top positions globally in corruption control.
- Other countries with strong corruption control mechanisms include Australia (14), Hong Kong (14), Japan (16), Bhutan (26), Taiwan (28), and South Korea (32)
- Worst Performers: The bottom of the index includes fragile states with authoritarian regimes, including North Korea (172), Myanmar (162), and Afghanistan (162).
South Asian Countries:
- Pakistan ranks 133 and Sri Lanka ranks 115 in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2023.
- Both nations grapple with debt burdens and political instability, but strong judicial oversight helps keep the government in check.
- Bangladesh also ranks poorly (149) on the Index despite economic growth supporting a continued reduction in poverty and improving living conditions.
- This is due to the ongoing crackdown against the press, which hinders the flow of information in the public sector.
- China ranks 76 due to its aggressive anti-corruption crackdown by punishing more than 3.7 million public officials for corruption over the last decade.
- However, the Report raises doubts over the long-term effectiveness of such anti-corruption measures due to China’s heavy reliance on punishment rather than institutional checks on power.
