Singapore no longer least corrupt, but dip 'insignificant'
Drop of 0.1 point in score likely due to survey changes, says watchdog
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Singapore lost its No. 1 spot on Thursday to become the fifth least-corrupt nation in the world, in the latest annual ranking by non-governmental corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI).
But it remains the least corrupt in Asia, ahead of Australia, Hong Kong and Japan.
TI officials and experts were quick to point out that the change in its ranking was not statistically significant, and that Singapore's reputation for clean, honest and efficient government remains intact.
Background story
Selected rankings
THE score relates to the degree of corruption in the country or territory as perceived by experts or their residents. It ranges from zero (highly corrupt) to 10 (least corrupt). Last year's rankings are in brackets.
BEST 10
1 (1) New Zealand: 9.5
2 (1) Denmark: 9.4
2 (4) Finland: 9.4
4 (4) Sweden: 9.3
5 (1) Singapore: 9.2
6 (10) Norway: 9.0
7 (7) The Netherlands: 8.9
8 (8) Australia: 8.8
8 (8) Switzerland: 8.8
10 (6) Canada: 8.7
SELECTED OTHERS
12 (13) Hong Kong: 8.4
14 (17) Japan: 8.0
16 (20) Britain: 7.8
24 (22) United States: 7.1
43 (39) South Korea: 5.4
60 (56) Malaysia: 4.3
75 (78) China: 3.6
80 (78) Thailand: 3.4
95 (87) India: 3.1
100 (110) Indonesia: 3.0
BOTTOM 4
180 (176) Afghanistan: 1.5
180 (176) Myanmar: 1.5
182 (new) North Korea: 1.0
182 (178) Somalia: 1.0
Mr Liao Ran, who oversees TI's rankings for East Asia, said the emphasis should be on the score, rather than the ranking.
