A new report lists Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan as the most highly corrupt nations on Earth.Transparency Internationalreleased its annualCorruption Perceptions Indexon Wednesday, relying on what it calls expert opinion from around the world to measure perceived levels of public sector corruption.Low scores mean more corruption, and the report gave Somalia and North Korea an eight, while putting Afghanistan at 11.No country scored a perfect 100, but a few came close, with Denmark at 91, and Finland and Sweden each at 90.'Blight' across globeJose Ugaz, chair of Transparency International, saidthe report shows corruption is still a "blight" across the globe.
"But 2015 was also a year when people again took to the streets to protest corruption," he said. "Peopleacross the globe sent a strong signal to those in power: It is time to tackle grand corruption."Transparency International said more than 6 billion people -- the vast majority of the global population -- are living in countries "with a serious corruption problem."'Serious corruption problem'The worst performing region is sub-Saharan Africa. Botswana ranks as one of the better countries in the world with a 63, but the report says most of those countries have a "serious corruption problem.""In many countries, including low scorers Angola, Burundi and Uganda, we're seeing a failure to prosecute corrupt public officials on the one hand, and intimidation of citizens who speak out against corruption on the other," the report says. It calls on governments to make sure the rule of law applies to everyone.Among the most corrupt nations are countries in theMiddle East and North Africa that are dealing withthe battle against the Islamic State group and persistent political instability.Islamic State fighters seized large areas in Iraq and Syria in mid-2014 and have managed to remain in control of major cities despite international military efforts. The report gives Iraq a 16 and Syria an 18 in terms of public corruption.
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