Czech corruption continues to decline, according to 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index

With a score of 59, the Czech Republic tied Cyprus and Lithuania to come in as the 38th least corrupt country among 180 countries across the world included in the study.

The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries according to their perceived public sector corruption, using expert analysis as well as public opinion surveys. Countries are rated on a scale of 0 (extreme corruption) to 100 (no corruption).

2018 marks the third straight year that the Czech Republic has improved in Transparency International’s Index, after scoring 57 points in 2017 and 55 points in 2016.

While the point increase seems modest, the Czech Republic has jumped eight positions over the last three years after coming in at #47 on the list in 2016.

Because of the Czech Republic’s continuing downward corruption trend, the nation has been listed as one of three “countries to watch” by Transparency International in 2019. The other two countries to watch are the United States and Brazil – – both of which have seen an increase in perceived corruption over recent years.

Czech neighbors Germany and Austria just missed the top 10 least corrupt nations in 2018, coming in at 11 and 14, respectively. Poland, meanwhile, edged the Czech Republic by one point to come in at #36 on the list.

Slovakia, meanwhile, has fallen to #57 on the list with a total of 50 points.

Scandinavian countries fared best in the Corruption Perceptions Index, with Denmark coming in at #1 and Sweden, Finland, and Norway also ranking in the top 10.

The world’s most corrupt nations were found to be Somalia, Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, and North Korea.