The most corrupt countries in the world

Every day, all over the world, ordinary people bear the cost of corruption. If you paid a bribe sometime in the last year, you are not alone. According to a new survey by corruption watchdog Transparency International, more than a quarter of people worldwide paid a bribe when dealing with public services in the past 12 months.
The survey pegs corruption in the countries of the world on a scale of 1 to 10 — from most corrupt — to the least. So, if you’re fed up with the corruption where you reside, be glad you don’t live in the most 10 corrupt countries in the world. Here’s a list:
10. Venezuela
Ranks 172 out of 182 countries, with a score of 1.9 out of 10. The discovery of mass amounts of oil in Venezuela hastened its slide into corruption and by the 1970s the petroleum sucked from the ground was called “the Devil’s excrement” by Venezuelans. Even the Venezuelan police force is recognized for its drastic levels of corruption.
9. Haiti
Ranks 175 out of 182 countries and earned a score of 1.8 out of 10. The immobilizing amount of “red tape” in the Haitian legal system enables local politicians and bureaucrats to gain influence and direct public outcomes for financial gain.
8. Iraq
Ranks 175 out of 182 countries and earned a score of 1.8 out of 10. The Iraqi government is so entrenched in its rampant pattern of corruption since the fall of Saddam Hussein that it removes officials who try to prosecute racketeers.
7. Sudan
Ranks 177 out of 182 countries and earned a score of 1.6 out of 10. Money for Sudan’s development ends in private hands and in foreign banks.
6. Turkmenistan
Ranks 177 out of 182 countries and earned a score of 1.6 out of 10. The country labours under immense human rights abuses and residents face severe restrictions anytime they try leaving the country. Turkmenistan has the 3rd worse freedom of the press, and is the 10th most censored country in the world.
5. Uzbekistan
Ranks 177 out of 182 countries and earned a score of 1.6 out of 10. Uzbekistan’s top officials reap all the benefits from rich resources. The government is rich in resources, but doesn’t allow for independent private sector growth, keeping control of everything. Part of its anti-corruption drive shut down 100 supermarkets and manufacturing businesses.
4. Afghanistan
Ranks 180 out of 182 countries and earned a score of 1.9 out of 10. Afghanistan’s citizens consider government kickbacks normal. In 2010, people from Afghanistan paid $2.5 billion in bribes, and nearly half the population has paid the government kickbacks. Kickbacks are so common that 38 % of citizens think it’s normal. Even meeting with a politician implies giving a kickback 40 percent of the time.
3. Myanmar
Ranks 180 out of 182 countries and earned a score of 1.5 out of 10. Myanmar’s corruption stems from its logs, gold, and drugs. Its rich natural resources and drug rings have led widespread corruption in all of Southeast Asia. The country is full of internal ethnic violence and has been isolated from most of the developed world because of human rights issues. But it still engages in illegal resource deals with nearby nations like China.
2. North Korea
Ranks 182 out of 182 countries and earned a score of 1 out of 10. North Korea’s officials drink imported Coke while its citizens die from starvation. Most of the testimonies come from refugees from the country, most of whom paid bribes to escape.
1. Somalia
Ranks 182 out of 182 countries and earned a score of 1 out of 10. Somalia has been a proxy battleground for nations for years. Foreign countries such as the US and USSR who used the country as a battleground for political ideologies helped drive corruption by backing particular clans or groups. Even some NGOs giving Somalia millions are actually splitting the money between the NGOs and the signing government officials.
It should come as no surprise that some of the most politically, economically, and socially unstable countries are also the most corrupt ones.