The 2006 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index: According to the annual survey by the Berlin-based organization Transparency International, Finland, Denmark, and New Zealand are perceived to be the world's least corrupt countries, and Somalia and Myanmar are perceived to be the most corrupt. The index defines corruption as the abuse of public office for private gain and measures the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among a country's public officials and politicians. It is a composite index, drawing on 14 polls and surveys from 12 independent institutions, which gathered the opinions of businesspeople and country analysts. Only 180 of the world's 193 countries are included in the survey, due to an absence of reliable data from the remaining countries. The scores range from ten (squeaky clean) to zero (highly corrupt). A score of 5.0 is the number Transparency International considers the borderline figure distinguishing countries that do and do not have a serious corruption problem. Countries that have significantly improved their rating since the 2006 index were Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominica, Italy, Macedonia, Namibia, Romania, Seychelles, South Africa, Suriname and Swaziland. Some of the countries that have a significantly worse rating since 2006 include Austria, Bahrain, Belize, Bhutan, Jordan, Laos, Macao, Malta, Mauritius, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand. Country rankCountry2007 CPI Score 1. Finland9.4 Denmark9.4 New Zealand9.4 4. Sweden9.3 Singapore9.3 6. Iceland9.2 7. Switzerland9.0 Netherlands9.0 9. Canada8.7 Norway8.7 11. Australia8.6 12. Luxembourg8.4 United Kingdom8.4 14. Hong Kong8.3 15. Austria8.1 16. Germany7.8 17. Japan7.5 Ireland7.5 19. France7.3 20. USA7.2 21. Belgium7.1 22. Chile7.0 23. Barbados6.9 24. St. Lucia6.8 25. Spain6.7 Uruguay6.7 27. Slovenia6.6 28. Portugal6.5 Estonia6.5 30. Israel6.1 St. Vincent and the Grenadines6.1 32. Qatar6.0 33. Malta5.8 34. Macao5.7 Taiwan5.7 United Arab Emirates5.7 37. Dominica5.6 38. Botswana5.4 39. Cyprus5.3 Hungary5.3 41. Czech Republic5.2 Italy5.2 43. South Korea5.1 Malaysia5.1 South Africa5.1 46. Bahrain5.0 Bhutan5.0 Costa Rica5.0 49. Cape Verde4.9 Slovakia4.9 51. Latvia4.8 Lithuania4.8 53. Jordan4.7 Mauritius4.7 Oman4.7 56. Greece4.6 57. Namibia4.5 Samoa4.5 Seychelles4.5 60. Kuwait4.3 61. Cuba4.2 Poland4.2 Tunisia4.2 64. Bulgaria4.1 Croatia4.1 Turkey4.1 67. El Salvador4.0 68. Colombia3.8 69. Ghana3.7 Romania3.7 71. Senegal3.6 72. Brazil3.5 China3.5 India3.5 Mexico3.5 Peru3.5 Morocco3.5 Suriname3.5 79. Georgia3.4 Grenada3.4 Saudi Arabia3.4 Serbia3.4 Trinidad and Tobago3.4 84. Bosnia and Herzgegovina3.3 Gabon3.3 Jamaica3.3 Lesotho3.3 Kiribati3.3 FYR Macedonia3.3 Maldives3.3 Montenegro3.3 Swaziland3.3 Thailand3.3 94. Madagascar3.2 Panama3.2 Sri Lanka3.2 Tanzania3.2 98. Vanuatu3.1 99. Algeria3.0 Armenia3.0 Belize3.0 Dominican Republic3.0 Lebanon3.0 Mongolia3.0 105. Bolivia2.9 Albania Iran2.9 Argentina Libya2.9 Burkina Faso2.9 Djibouti2.9 Egypt2.9 111. Eritrea2.8 Guatemala2.8 Moldova2.8 Mozambique2.8 Rwanda2.8 Solomon Islands2.8 Uganda2.8 118. Benin2.7 Malawi2.7 Mali Zambia2.7 Sao Tome and Principe2.7 Ukraine2.7 123. Comoros2.6 Guyana2.6 Mauritania2.6 Nicaragua2.6 Niger2.6 Timor-Leste2.6 Viet Nam2.6 Zambia2.6 131. Burundi2.5 Honduras2.5 Iran2.5 Libya2.5 Nepal2.5 Phillipines2.5 Yemen2.5 138. Cameroon2.4 Ethiophia2.4 Pakistan2.4 Paraguay2.4 Syria2.4 143. Gambia2.3 Indonesia2.3 Russia2.3 Togo Nigeria2.3 147. Angola2.2 Guinea-Bissau2.2 Nigeria2.2 150. Azerbaijan2.1 Belarus2.1 Congo, Republic2.1 Côte d´Ivoire2.1 Ecuador2.1 Kazakhstan Uzbekistan2.1 Kenya Bangladesh2.1 Kyrgyzstan2.1 Liberia2.1 Sierra Leone2.1 Tajikistan2.1 Zimbabwe Iraq2.1 162. Bangladesh2.0 Cambodia2.0 Central African Republic2.0 Papua New Guinea2.0 Turkmenistan2.0 Venezuela2.0 168. Congo, Democratic Republic of1.9 Equatorial Guinea1.9 Guinea1.9 Laos1.9 172. Afghanistan1.8 Chad1.8 Sudan1.8 175. Tonga1.7 Uzbekistan1.7 177. Haiti1.6 178. Iraq1.5 179. Myanmar2.0 Somalia2.0 Source:Transparency International, 2007. Web: www.transparency.or g.