Liberia is World’s Most Corrupt Country: 2010 TI Report Grades Liberia

Transparency International, (IT): 

 

 A German based organization which focuses on tracking the practice of corruption in countries around the world, Transparency International, (IT) has issued its Global Corruption Barameter report for 2010 on December 9th and grades Liberia as world’s most corrupt country with 89%, followed by Uganda and Cambodia with 86% and 84% respectively. The 2010 Global Corruption Barometer is the seventh of its kind since it begin publication in 2003.

 

Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer (the Barometer) is the largest cross-country survey to collect the general public’s views on and experiences of corruption. In 2010 the Barometer interviewed more than 91,500 people in 86 countries, making it the most comprehensive edition since it was launched in 2003. The Barometer explores the general public’s views about corruption levels in their country and their government’s efforts to fight corruption. The 2010 Barometer also probes the frequency of bribery, reasons for paying a bribe in the past year, and attitudes towards reporting incidents of corruption.

 

 The Barometer complements the views of country analysts and businesspeople represented in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index1 and Bribe Payers Index2, gathering the general public’s perceptions about how key institutions are affected by corruption. The 2010 Barometer also explores whom people trust the most to fight corruption in their countries.  The questions in the Barometer vary from year to year. As a result, time comparisons are limited to questions that have been included in two or more editions. A general approach to comparisons over time for the 2010 Barometer is to compare this year’s findings with those earliest available for that question. In all cases, the years compared are indicated in the table or graphic accompanying the analysis of changes over time. Public views on corruption are of critical importance.

 

They offer significant insight into how corruption affects lives around the world. Transparency International believes it is critical to present the general public’s perspective on corruption – for it is they who suffer its direct and indirect consequences around the world. At the same time, Transparency International encourages the public to play an active role in stopping corruption and improving governance.

 

To this end, this year’s edition of the Barometer probes for the first time public willingness to engage with the fight against corruption. Now in its seventh edition, the Barometer offers a unique opportunity to explore how people’s perceptions of corruption and encounters with bribery have changed over time in a number of countries. For the first time, the 2010 Global Corruption Barometer asked the general public whom they trust the most to stop corruption in their countries. Results show that, insofar as any one institution is trusted, the most trusted actor is the media. Almost as many people trust their governments most of all to curb corruption. However, a full quarter of those asked report that they do not trust any institution in this regard. Around one in every 10 respondents would put their greatest trust in the private sector, in non-governmental organisations17 or in international institutions (eg. UN, World Bank, International Monetary Fund) respectively.  

 

 

 

Sub-Saharan Africa 

 

Country:                                  Percent:

Liberia……………………………………. 89%

Uganda…………………………………….. 86%

Sierra Leone ………………………………..71%

Nigeria ……………………………………….63%

Senegal ……………………………………….56%

Cameroon …………………………………..54%

Zambia……………………………………….42%

Ghana…………………………………….. 37%

 Transparency International carried conducted its  2010 Global  Corruption Barometer studies through RMS-Africa firm  which interviewed 750 Liberians covering the urban areas which represent the population of 856,516 and cover the June 21-June 26 2010. The methodology used was face to face. The sectors of the Liberian society covered in the studies included where in society corruption is prevalent and experienced change in corruption pattern. The areas sectors are:

Political Parties: ……………. 2.9%

Legislature …………………… 3.9%

Police …………………………. 4.1%

Business/Private Sector….. 3.2%

Media………………………….. 2.4%

Public Officials/C. servant. 3.6%

Judiciary ………………………. 3.7%

NGOs………………………….. 2.5%

Religious Body…………….. 1.9%

Military……………………….. 2.3%

Education ……………………. 3.8%

A 2% of any of the above denotes the severity of corruption and no change in attitude while beyond 2% underscores how extreme corruption has become. Norway and Great Britain are the world’s least corrupt countries with a 1% followed by Switzerland and Portugal with 2% and 3% respectively. For Sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana is the least corrupt country with 37% followed Zambia and Kenya with 42% and 45% corruption index respectively. According to Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer of 2010, 80% of Sub-Saharan Africa are willing to engage to fight corruption while 50%  say government  is corrupt but 45% trust the government to fight corruption.