Singapore is the fifth least corrupt nation globally in the latest Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index.
The accolade positions Singapore as the sole Asian country to consistently feature in the top 10 since the index’s first publication in 1995. Over the past few years, Singapore’s rankings have varied: it achieved third place in 2018 and 2020, fourth in 2019 and 2021, and secured fifth in 2022 and 2023.
The 2023 index, released by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), ranks countries based on perceived levels of corruption in the public sector. The scoring system ranges from 0, indicating high levels of corruption, to 100, reflecting a very clean, corruption-free status. CPIB collated data from 13 external sources for this assessment, ensuring a comprehensive and diverse analysis.
At the top of the list, Denmark scored 90 points, followed by Finland with 87 points, New Zealand at 85, and Norway at 84. Singapore scored 83, identical to its 2022 ranking, demonstrating its consistent efforts in maintaining low corruption levels.
CPIB’s statement emphasized that Singapore’s public sector corruption is effectively contained, with a negligible number of reported cases. The CPIB’s Public Perception Surveys consistently indicate high public trust and confidence in Singapore’s anti-corruption measures.
Apart from the Corruption Perceptions Index, Singapore has also excelled in the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2023, where it ranked third globally for the absence of corruption, notably the highest-ranked Asian nation among 142 surveyed countries. Similarly, the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy’s 2023 “Report on Corruption in Asia” also placed Singapore at the top among 16 evaluated economies.
The ranking is particularly significant in the context of a recent high-profile corruption case involving Singapore’s Transport Minister Subramaniam Iswaran, who resigned after being charged with corruption. This incident marked a rare occurrence of a sitting minister in Singapore being charged with a criminal offence, underscoring the country’s stringent and uncompromising stance on corruption at all levels of government.
