Iraq Ranked 12th Most Corrupt State In Transparency International Survey

The anti-graft group Transparency International released its annual international survey, and Iraq once again did poorly. It was tied for 12^th most corrupt country in the world along with Venezuela. It received a score of 18 out of 100. The lower the score the bigger the problem corruption posed. Within the Middle East Iraq was fourth from the bottom with only Syria, Yemen, and Libya doing worse.

Most Corrupt Countries

1. Somalia

2. Syria

2. South Sudan

4. Yemen

4. North Korea

6. Sudan

6. Guinea Bissau

6. Equatorial Guinea

6. Afghanistan

10. Libya

10. Burundi

12. Venezuela

12. Iraq

13. Congo

13. Chad

13. Angola

Transparency ranked 180 countries based upon perceived levels of corruption. Each nation was given a score of 0-100 with the higher the number, the better the country did in countering corruption. The Middle East and North Africa did poorly once again. It averaged 39 with nearly every country struggling with graft. Transparency noted that it undermined governments and challenged the few democracies in the region.

Middle East-North Africa Rankings

Syria Score 13, Ranked 178

Yemen Score 14, Ranked 176

Libya Score 17 Ranked 170

Iraq Score 18, Ranked 168

Iran Score 28, Ranked 138

Egypt Score 35, Ranked 105

Algeria Score 35, Ranked 105

Kuwait Score 41, Ranked 78

Tunisia Score 43, Ranked 73

Morocco Score 43, Ranked 73

Saudi Arabia Score 49, Ranked 58

Jordan Score 49, Ranked 58

Oman Score 52, Ranked 53

Israel Score 61, Ranked 34

Qatar Score 62, Ranked 33

UAE Score 70, Ranked 23

The one positive is that Iraq has moved from the very bottom to near the bottom on Transparency’s index. Right after the 2003 invasion Iraq was like a free for all with Iraqis and Americans stealing left and right. Since then graft and bribery have been institutionalized and become part of governance. The political parties take from the state to maintain their patronage networks and enrich themselves. With those at the top depending upon corruption to rule there is no serious effort to stop it despite nearly annual announcements by prime ministers that they will tackle the issue.

SOURCES

Transparency International, “Corruption Perceptions Index 2018,” January 2019