Transparency International released its annual Corruption Projections Index on Wednesday, listing Somalia and North Korea as the most highly corrupt nations on earth, each scoring eight out of a possible 100 on the index.
Jose Ugaz, chair of Transparency International, said the report shows corruption is still a "blight" across the globe, according to Voice of America.
"But 2015 was also a year when people again took to the streets to protest corruption," he said. "People across the globe sent a strong signal to those in power: It is time to tackle grand corruption."
Transparency International's report, which lists 168 countries, relies on what it calls expert opinion from around the world to measure perceived levels of public sector corruption. The report said that the majority are still generally seen as more corrupt than not, but with more countries that saw their score improve rather than decline, according to CNBC.
The United States had its best ever showing since the survey began in 1995, placing 16th on the list, according to USA Today.
The German lobbying group's report said that in addition to conflict and war, "poor governance, weak public institutions like police and the judiciary, and a lack of independence in the media characterize the lowest ranked countries."
The bottom 10 are:
- Guinea-Bissau
- Venezuela
- Iraq
- Libya
- Angola
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Afghanistan
- North Korea
- Somalia
Characteristics such as a free press, publicly available budget information and judiciaries which do not treat people differently depending on their wealth were shared by top-performing countries, with Denmark listed as the least corrupt country, according to The Telegraph.
Transparency International said that corruption is "rife worldwide," with the average score being 43 out of 100 and more than two-thirds of countries scoring less than 50.
