The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Ahmed Al-Bashir, Staff Reporter

The UAE topped the Middle East and North Africa countries and ranked 21st globally on the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2020 issued by Transparency International, to be among the most transparent and honest countries in the world, with 71 points on the general anti-corruption index.

The UAE surpassed countries such as France, the United States, Portugal, Cyprus, Poland, Croatia and South Korea.

The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories in line with perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and the business community, uses a scale from zero to 100, with zero being the most corrupt and 100 the most honest.
Denmark topped the ranking of countries, with 88 points on the general index, followed by New Zealand in second place, Finland in third, Singapore fourth, and Sweden in fifth place in the world.

This year's Corruption Perceptions Index paints a bleak picture of the state of corruption around the world.

While most countries have made little or no progress in tackling corruption in nearly a decade, more than two-thirds of countries score less than 50 points.

The index shows that corruption not only undermines the global health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also contributes to the continuing crisis of democracy.

Reports show widespread corruption throughout the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, from paying bribes for coronavirus tests, treatment and other health services, to purchases of medical supplies and overall preparedness for emergencies.

The analysis also reveals that countries that do well on the index are investing more in healthcare, are more able to provide universal coverage and are less likely to violate democratic norms or the rule of law when responding to a crisis.

By region, Western Europe and the European Union scored the highest on the index, with an average score of 66, while Eastern Europe and Central Asia (36 points) and Sub-Saharan Africa (32 points) scored the lowest scores on the index.