The 17 Most Corrupt Countries In The World

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Transparency International has published its 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranked 175 countries and territories based on how corrupt their administrative and political institutions are perceived to be on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) and a 100 (very clean).

Compiled from a combination of surveys and assessments of "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain," the CPI is the most widely used indicator of corruption worldwide.

Here are the 17 most corrupt countries, according to the index:

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The lowest ranked countries are perceived as "plagued by poor governance, and untrustworthy and badly functioning public institutions like police or media."

Denmark (92), New Zealand (91), Finland (89), and Sweden (87) are listed as the four least corrupt countries while the U.S. came in 17th - along with Barbados, Hong Kong, and Ireland - with a rating of 74.

Top performers are found to have "high levels of press freedom, open budget processes and strong accountability mechanisms."

The average country score this year is 43/100. Seychelles, Malta, Latvia, and South Korea are listed at 43.

Ukraine, which is fighting a Russian-backed separatist rebellion, came in 142 with a score of 26. Russia's score is 27.

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Reuters notes that Turkey and China's rating have fallen steeply since last year. Turkey dropped five points to 45 after a corruption scandal rocked the ruling party AKP last December. China's rating fell by four points to 36, even amid a anti-corruption drive that has purged dozens of officials.

And here's an interactive version of the map: