Haiti Ranked 159th in Corruption Index
Transparency International, “the global coalition against corruption,” has just released its 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index of 176 countries and territories.
According to the corruption index, Haiti ranked 159th with a score of 20/100. This ranking puts Haiti among the top 10% of countries & territories in the index that scored the lowest.
Each country and territory in the index is scored on a scale of 0 to 100. The closer to 0 a country’s score, the more likely it is to exhibit signs of extreme corruption.
However, the country’s scoring closer to 100 is indicative of exhibiting minimal to lower instances of corruption.
The annual report has consistently ranked Haiti as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Haiti has repeatedly scored in the 17-20 range for the past five years.
Compared to other Caribbean nations, Haiti scored noticeably less than many of its closest neighbors.
Haiti also ranked as the second most corrupt country in all of the Americas, just behind Venezuela, which received the lowest score in the region with 19/100.
Based on the index, the top 5 least corrupt countries in the Americas included Canada, the United States, Uruguay, Bahamas, and Chile.
On the flip side, the top 5 countries in the Americas with the most room for improvement include Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Paraguay.
According to Transparency International, countries that scored low in their Corruption Perceptions Index were more likely to have untrustworthy institutions where bribery and extortion are prevalent.
Haiti’s President-Elect, Jovenel Moïse, has been very vocal about curbing corruption in the country and plans to “reinforce” many of Haiti’s political and social institutions.
If the new administration stands any chance of improving the perceptions of corruption in Haiti, they will certainly have to lead by example.