India has been ranked a lowly 74, two steps down since last year, among 180 countries of the world on the worldwide Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), prepared by independent international agency Transparency International, which tracks the prevalence of corruption in the world.Of some consolation is the fact that corruption is much higher in Pakistan, which occupies 140th place, a little above Iran, Libya and Nepal, which are ranked 133, 134 and 135 respectively. Russia, on the other hand, is ranked 145. Meanwhile, China, which was ranked a joint 72 with India in 2007, slid a step down to occupy a place ‘above’ its neighbour this year, with Sri Lanka ranked 96 and Maldives 90. The least corrupt country in the region is the nascent democracy of Bhutan, which has been placed at the 41st spot. Myanmar and Somalia, however, qualify as the most corrupt nations in the world. Faring much better are Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Singapore and Sweden, which have cornered the top five spots, retaining positions as the least corrupt nations of the world. The US also retains its position and is ranked 20, just below Germany, Ireland, Japan and France. Britain occupies the 13th spot and is just ahead of Hong Kong.
