Taiwan ranks 25th on perceived transparency

Taipei, Feb. 11 (CNA) Taiwan ranked 25th on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2024, matching its highest ranking in 25 years, according to the Agency Against Corruption (ACC) Tuesday.

According to the CPI 2024 report, published Tuesday by Transparency International, Taiwan scored 67 points, which was the same as in 2023 while rising three ranks from 28th among the 180 countries and regions evaluated by the index.

In a news release, the ACC said that Taiwan ranked seventh among the 31 countries and regions of the Asian-Pacific region, behind Singapore (scoring 85), New Zealand (83), Australia (77), Hong Kong (74), Bhutan (72) and Japan (71).

Taiwan's score was higher than 86 percent of all evaluated countries and regions, the ACC added.

In 2024, the highest-ranked country is Denmark with a score of 90, followed by Finland with 88, Singapore 84 and New Zealand 83, according to data from the report.

Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland tied for the fifth with scores of 81.

The global average score for 2024 was 43.

Transparency International Chinese Taipei (TICT) pointed out that although Taiwan's score remained the same as 2023, its rise in ranking was due to the reduced scores of Austria, France and the United States.

It noted that Taiwan's score actually fell from 68 in 2022, indicating that the fight for government integrity cannot rest on its laurels.

TICT also noted that Taiwan was classified as a "complete democracy" as well as having an "open" civil space, in which citizens can freely express their opinions and journalists can report without threat.

However, the average score for complete democracies was 73, while countries with open civil spaces had an average score of 70, both of which Taiwan failed to achieve, posing a warning signal for the country, TICT said.

The CPI is compiled from a combination of at least three data sources from 13 different corruption surveys and assessments, which have been collected by a variety of reputable institutions including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, according to Transparency International.

Transparency International was established in 1993 and works globally to "stop corruption and promote transparency, accountability and integrity at all levels and across all sectors of society," according to its official website.