New Delhi: India drops 6 ranks to 86th position among 180 countries in Corruption Perception Index(CPI) 2020.
India’s overall score is also two points less than that of China, which docked at 78th position, with a score of 42. Pakistan scored just 31 points, falling at the 144th position on the index.
The CPI ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. The CPI 2020 report said at 40, India’s score is below the average score of the Asia-Pacific region (31 countries) and global average.
The  list was topped by New Zealand and Denmark (88 each), followed by Switzerland, Finland, Sweden and Singapore (85 each).  Australia and Hong Kong were among the top performers with scores of 77 each. Meanwhile, South Sudan and Somalia were at the bottom of the global ranking, with scores of 12 each.
Transparency International chief said coronavirus is not just a health and economic crisis, but also a corruption crisis. He said the past year has tested governments like no other in memory and those with higher levels of corruption have been less able to meet the challenge.
