Iceland is the 12th least corrupt country in the world, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2013. Iceland has continued to drop places in recent years; Iceland ranked 11th in 2012, 7th in 2009, 6th in 2007 and 1st in 2005.
Protests outside Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament, in 2008 following the banking collapse. Iceland has continued to drop places on the index since the collapse. Photo: Páll Stefánsson/Iceland Review.
According to public opinion surveys carried out by Transparency International, three percent of Icelanders report having paid a bribe in 2010. Meanwhile, political parties are perceived to be the institutions most affected by corruption. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being “extremely corrupt,” political parties in Iceland scored 4.3. Parliament and legislation and the media also scored poorly. In addition, 78 percent of those surveyed reported that they felt that government’s efforts to fight corruption were ineffective.
Iceland’s Nordic neighbor Denmark is again in the top spot with New Zealand followed by Finland and Sweden, and Norway and Singapore. The Netherlands is ranked 8th and Australia and Canada 9th. Luxemburg is next while Germany shares the 12th spot with Iceland.
Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan are again in last place.
The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. This year’s index includes 177 countries and territories.
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