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BY GEORGE PAPANICOLAOU
In the 2009 survey of the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, Cyprus ranked 27th, an increase of four positions from last year survey and its score climbed from 6.4 in 2008 to 6.6.
The annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), first released in 1995, is the best known of Transparency International tools. It has been widely credited with putting TI and the issue of corruption on the international policy agenda. The index ranks 180 countries in terms of the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians. It is a composite index, a poll of polls, drawing on corruption-related data from expert and business surveys carried out by a variety of independent and reputable institutions. The CPI reflects views from around the world, including those of experts who are living in the countries evaluated.
What is corruption in the public sector?
The TI CPI focuses on corruption in the public sector. The surveys used in compiling the CPI ask questions relating to the abuse of public power for private benefit.
These include questions on bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, embezzlement of public funds, and questions that probe the strength and effectiveness of public sector anti-corruption efforts, thereby covering both the administrative and political aspects of corruption.
The 2009 CPI draws on 13 different polls and surveys from 10 independent institutions. TI strives to ensure that the sources used are of the highest quality and that the survey work is performed with complete integrity. To qualify, the data must be well documented and the methodology explained to permit a judgment on its reliability.
Cyprus ranking since 2003
Year Rank CPI 2009 Score
2003 27 6.1
2004 36 5.4
2005 37 5.7
2006 37 5.6
2007 39 5.3
2008 31 6.4
2009 27 6.6
How should the CPI scores be interpreted?
A country or territory’s CPI score indicates the degree of public sector corruption as perceived by business people and country analysts, and ranges between 10 (highly clean) and 0 (highly corrupt).
While ranking countries enables TI to build an index, a country’s score is a much more important indication of the perceived level of corruption in a country. A country's rank can change simply because new countries enter the index or others drop out.
2009 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index
Rank Country/Territory CPI 2009 Score
1 New Zealand 9.4
2 Denmark 9.3
3 Singapore 9.2
3 Sweden 9.2
5 Switzerland 9.0
6 Finland 8.9
6 Netherlands 8.9
8 Australia 8.7
8 Canada 8.7
8 Iceland 8.7
11 Norway 8.6
12 Hong Kong 8.2
12 Luxembourg 8.2
14 Germany 8.0
14 Ireland 8.0
16 Austria 7.9
17 Japan 7.7
17 United Kingdom 7.7
19 United States 7.5
20 Barbados 7.4
21 Belgium 7.1
22 Qatar 7.0
22 Saint Lucia 7.0
24 France 6.9
25 Chile 6.7
25 Uruguay 6.7
27 Cyprus 6.6
27 Estonia 6.6
27 Slovenia 6.6
30 United Arab Emirates 6.5
71 Bulgaria 3.8
71 FYR Macedonia 3.8
71 Greece 3.8
71 Romania 3.8
176 Iraq 1.5
176 Sudan 1.5
178 Myanmar 1.4
179 Afghanistan 1.3
180 Somalia 1.1
Source: Transparency International
George Papanicolaou is a member of the International Compliance Association (MICA) and Managing Director of GP Global Ltd.
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