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Jamaica continues to rank among countries that fail to make serious inroads against corruption, despite climbing one place to land in the number 69 position in Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranking.
The island's CPI score remains at 44, the same as in 2021 when the island was ranked 70 out of 180 countries.
Based on the index, a score of zero is considered to be highly corrupt while 100 is regarded as very clean.
Based on its 2022 CPI ranking, Jamaica is the fifth most corrupt country in the Caribbean behind Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Transparency International ranked Barbados the least corrupt country in the region, with a score of 65 out of 100 and a ranking of 29th out of 180 countries, the same as 2020's CPI.
In commenting on Jamaica's 2022 CPI performance, Executive Director of the Integrity Commission, Greg Christie, said the country's score of 44 "continues to stand as its best score ever."
It previously attained a similar score in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021, Christie outlined on Twitter.
"In the 21 years that TI (Transparency International) has been ranking Jamaica, the country has averaged a CPI score of only 38 out of 100," Christie said.
"Prior to its 2017 CPI score of 44, it had never scored higher than 41 - its CPI score in 2015. Jamaica’s lowest CPI score ever was 30, recorded in 2009," he added.
The CPI is regarded as the most widely used global corruption ranking in the world.
It measures how corrupt each country's public sector is perceived to be, according to experts and business people.
The data sources used to compile the CPI consider issues such as bribery, diversion of public funds, officials using their public office for private gain without facing consequences, and the ability of governments to contain corruption in the public sector among others.
Transparency International said the 2022 CPI "shows that most of the world continues to fail to fight corruption".
Additionally, approximately 95 per cent of countries have made little to no progress since 2017.
The global CPI average remains unchanged for over a decade at just 43 out of 100.
"More than two-thirds of countries scored below 50, while 26 nations fell to their lowest scores yet," the report said.
Some 155 countries made no significant progress against corruption, or have declined since 2022.
Topping Transparency International's 2022 CPI country rankings is Denmark, with a score of 90.
Following behind with scores of over 80 out of 100, which signals that they are least corrupt, are: Finland (87); New Zealand (87); Norway (84); Singapore (83); Sweden (83); Switzerland (82); and Netherlands (80).
Somalia finished at the bottom of the ranking at 180, scoring 12 out of 100 and placing at 180.
Turning to the America's region, Christie said Transparency International lamented that for the fourth consecutive year, the region has scored a CPI average of 43.
"Leaders have failed to take decisive action against corruption…," Christie quoted a section of the report.
"This has allowed criminal networks to strengthen their hold, wielding significant power over politicians in many countries and aggravating violence in the region with the highest per capita homicide rate,"
Christie stated, too, that Transparency International pointed out that "weak law enforcement institutions, and high levels of corruption, have allowed drug cartels to expand to the Caribbean."
How Caribbean countries are ranked:
Barbados
Rank: 29th
Score: 65
The Bahamas
Rank: 30th
Score: 64
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Rank: 35th
Score: 60
Dominica
Rank: 45th
Score: 55
St Lucia
Rank: 45th
Score: 55
Grenada
Rank: 51st
Score: 52
Cuba
Rank: 65th
Score: 45
Jamaica
Rank: 69th
Score: 44
Trinidad and Tobago
Rank: 77th
Score: 42
Guyana
Rank: 85th
Score: 40
Dominican Republic
Rank: 123rd
Score: 32
Haiti
Rank: 171st
Score: 17
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December 4, 2022 08:28 PM
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