Global Corruption Report: Qatar ranked second least corrupt country in Arab world

Qatar has been ranked the second-top country in the region in combating corruption following the UAE, according to Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI). While the FIFA World Cup 2022 host scored 58 out of 100, Syria, Yemen, and Libya were among the most corrupt ones on the list, scoring just 13, 16, and 17, respectively.

The three countries have been mired in instability since the 2011 Arab Spring, a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that began in Tunisia in response to corruption and economic stagnation, and gradually spread across much of the Arab world.

Although Qatar has retained the second top spot in the Arab world, its recent score of 58 is the lowest in the last ten years. On a global scale, the country ranked 40, dropping from 64. The report has blamed its alleged abuses of workers’ rights in preparations for the world cup for the drop, in addition to the lack of access to information in the country.

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Qatar has repeatedly said it responded to the claims made around the world cup by introducing major reform. Moreover, in recent months, the country appears to have taken steps to provide the right to access information.

In the Middle East and North Africa region, the average fell last year to 38. The CPI cited the favouritism system, bribery, and ongoing violent conflict and civil unrest.

In Europe, while Austria, Luxembourg, and the UK saw their scores significantly decline, Ireland is the only EU member country whose score improved last year. According to the report, Hungary is perceived as having the worst public sector corruption record in the bloc. The country, along with Bulgaria and Romania, is far behind Denmark and Finland, both of which ranked first and second on the list.

Nonetheless, the damning report also mentioned that the rank is not as important as the score when it comes to indicating the level of corruption in that country.