Thailand’s score has in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) declined to 34 from 35 the year before, though its global ranking improved one place to 107th, according to Transparency International.
The latest survey released this week by Transparency International covered 180 countries worldwide. Denmark topped the list of cleanest countries with 90 points out of 100, followed by Finland (88), Singapore (84), New Zealand (83), while Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland were tied with 81 points.
Thailand’s global ranking was on par with five other countries: Algeria, Brazil, Malawi, Nepal and Niger. The Kingdom ranked fifth in Asean, with Singapore the highest and Myanmar the lowest at 168th with a score of 16.
In the past decade, the best CPI score Thailand has achieved was 38, in both 2014 and 2015. Rankings can vary more widely depending on the performance of other countries. In 2022 Thailand jumped nine places to 101st even though its score rose just one point to 36. The following year the score declined to 35 but the ranking fell to 108th.
The three worst performers in the 2024 survey were South Sudan with 8 points, Somalia (9) and Venezuela (10).
Berlin-based Transparency International said the global average score was unchanged from the year before at 43, with two-thirds of the countries surveyed scoring below 50.
The survey ranks countries and territories according to the levels of public-sector corruption perceived by experts and businesspeople. It relies on 13 independent data sources, among them the World Economic Forum.
In its latest report, Transparency International said that two of the biggest challenges humanity faces are strongly intertwined: corruption and the climate crisis.
“While billions of people around the world face the daily consequences of climate change, resources for adaptation and mitigation remain woefully inadequate. Corruption intensifies these challenges, posing additional threats to vulnerable communities,” it said.
“A lack of adequate transparency and accountability mechanisms increases the risk that climate funds may be misused or embezzled.”