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Corruption is defined as the abuse of power for personal gain. These corrupt countries include a wide range of actions, from taking bribes to wealthy patrons at the expense of a general populace or organizational office to using power for actions that are not sanctioned and/or legal.

Corruption has become a persistent phenomenon to varying degrees all over the world. It is most common in developing countries and, to a lesser extent, in developed countries. According to a World Bank report cited by EconStor, an estimated $1 trillion amount is compensated in bribes worldwide each year from these corrupt countries.

Several studies have been done in these corrupt countries in order to identify the backup causes of corruption. These generally include stifled media and a lack of transparency. These elements combine to foster a deceitful environment. 
Similarly, the factors that help to solve these problems collaborate. For example, EconStor research shows that decentralization is effective in battling corruption, but only when there is associated press freedom in the given country.

Following are the Top 10 Most Corrupt Countries in the World:

1. Somalia

Somalia is one of these corrupt countries which has experienced one of the longest periods of state collapse in recent years, facing numerous huge corruption challenges that plague turmoil nations, with corruption and incompetence and subverting the legitimacy of the globally recognized TFG. 


The utter lack of a usable central govt, a shortage of resources and institutional arrangements, weak leadership structures, and a restricted capacity to pay public officials all exacerbate corruption.

2. South Sudan

Corruption is prevalent in South Sudan, and companies doing business or going to plan to venture into the country must be aware of the risks.

Bribery is prevalent in all parts of the economy, and close relationships between government and firms are cited as a critical factor in business success in one of these corrupt countries.
The country’s judicial system is ineffective, plagued by corruption, and there is a culture of impunity. As a result, despite covering a wide range of corruption offenses, South Sudan’s primary anti-corruption regulation.
The Southern Sudan Anti-Corruption Committee Act 2009 as well as the South Sudan Penal Code Act 2008, are not adequately enforced. Gifts are illegal under South Sudanese law, but with little enforcement, presents and facilitation payments are common.

3. Syria

Syria has been ranked among the worst-affected countries in Transparency International’s world-renowned Corruption Perceptions Index for the past six years. Syria ranked second to worst in terms of people’s regard for the integrity of public bodies in 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016, scoring only 13 on a magnitude where 0 represents total corruption and 100 represents total cleanliness.

The Syrian government forces international aid organizations to use a warped and twisted exchange rate, allowing it to deflect well almost 51 cents of every dollar of international aid expended in Syria in 2020.

That money provided foreign reserves to Syria’s Central Bank, which is authorized by the U.S, the European Union, and the U.K.  UN bodies are not required to follow Western sanctions. Humanitarian aid is intended to benefit those in need, not the legislature.

4. Afghanistan

Corruption is a ubiquitous and rapidly growing issue in Afghan society. According to Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, one of these corrupt countries, the country ranks 174th out of 180 countries, with lower-ranked countries perceived to have a more honest public sector.

In 2020, Afghanistan was ranked 165th out of 179 countries.
According to the index, anti-corruption attempts in Afghanistan had also improved slightly since 2019. Afghanistan received a score of 15 out of 100 in 2017, 16 in 2018 and 2019, and 19 in 2020. Afghanistan is now ranked 165th out of 179 countries.

5. Yemen

Corruption is a serious issue in Yemen. Yemen is the Gulf region’s most corrupt country. It is also an impoverished nation in the Middle East, “with such an amazingly high fertility rate, intense rates of child malnutrition, and rapidly depleting oil and water reserves.”
According to Chatham House, “corruption, poverty, and inequality are systemic” in Yemen, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, corruption is “so engrained and pervasive” that many citizens feel powerless.

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6. Sudan

Sudan has a high level of corruption and is regarded as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Sudan consistently rated 164th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2020 – 21 Corruption Perceptions Index, with a high ranking corresponding to an impression of high corruption within the public sector. 
On a one-hundred-point scale, it did score in the single digits in every category inside the 2010 World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, including 0.9 for the political system, 6.2 for rule of law, 7.2 for institutional quality, 6.7 for governance, and 4.3 for corruption control.
Sudan was named among the worst countries for human rights by Freedom House in 2011.

7. Libya

For years, Libya has been subjected to numerous reports of government, militia, as well as major oil corporation corruption.  Oil supply has made the country vulnerable to corruption, resulting in a civil conflict because of ongoing conflicts and political unrest. 
Libya’s corruption stems from what social analysts refer to as a “resource curse,” a term that describes a country that has less productivity expansion and a weakening democratic republic due to its wealth of natural resources.

8. North Korea

North Korea was ranked 194th out of 194 corrupt countries in Trace International’s matrix, which evaluated states in 4 groups: enterprise contact with governmental agencies, anti-bribery dissuasion and regulation, federal govt and civil service transparency, and civil society oversight capacity.

North Korea was named one of the most corrupt in 3 out of four categories by the nonprofit that provides due diligence assistance to multinational corporations. In actuality, the DPRK was the sole country to receive a score of 100 out of 100 — the lowest possible — in various areas, outpacing Turkmenistan, Eritrea, and Venezuela.

9. Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau has one of the highest levels of corruption in the world. It was ranked 161st out of 175 corrupt countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2014.
It was ranked 163rd out of 177 corrupt countries the previous year.

This was a drop from its previous ranking of 150th out of 174 corrupt countries in 2012. Just on Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s Indicator of African Governance in 2013, Guinea-Bissau ranked poorly than the average values in both in Africa and West Africa.

The majority of corruption in Guinea-Bissau stems from the country’s status as an international drug trafficking hub. According to one source, abject poverty, state collapse, a lack of means, and endemic corruption have made Guinea Bissau a safe place for Colombian drug lords.

10. Equatorial Guinea

According to a 2008 State Department report, representatives in Equatorial Guinea frequently engage in bribery and illegal practices with impunity. The country received a 0 on TI’s Open Budget Index in 2014. 
From 1996 – 2013, the Performance Indicators Unit assigned the country a 0.0 for corruption control. Equatorial Guinea received a “failing” rating of 13/100 on the National Governance Institute’s Resource Governance Index, ranking 56th out of 58 countries. It received a rating of 14/100 on “reporting practices,” ranking 55th among the corrupt countries.