Why is Asia Pacific making little to no progress in its anti-corruption efforts? One of the reasons is an overall weakening of democratic institutions and political rights, says Patricia Moreira, Transparency International’s managing director.
Thailand ranked No.99, on par with the Philippines, out of 180 countries and territories in the survey. Thailand’s ranking was 76 in 2015 and sinked down to 102 the year after.
Singapore was joint No.3 in the world rankings, Malaysia No.61, Indonesia No.89, Vietnam No.117, Myanmar No.132 and Cambodia No.161.
Most top scorers in the region, including New Zealand and Australia, have well-functioning democratic systems, which help contribute to their top scores.
However, there are some countries within the region, including Singapore and Hong Kong, which still control corruption effectively, despite being largely non-democratic.