The10MostCorruptCountriesintheWorld

Corruptionisbothamajorcauseandaresultofpovertyaroundtheworld.Itoccursatalllevelsofsociety,
fromlocalandnationalgovernments,civilsociety,judiciaryfunctions,largeandsmallbusinesses,military
andotherservicesandsoon.
Corruptionaffectsthepoorestthemost,inrichorpoornations,thoughallelementsofsocietyareaffected
insomewayascorruptionunderminespoliticaldevelopment,democracy,economicdevelopment,the
environment,peopleshealthandmore.
What makes a country politically corrupt? What causes political corruption in a country? Political

corruption is the use of powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. An
illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly
related to their official duties, is done under color of law or involves trading in influence.
theworldoverallhasahugeissueintermsofcorruptofficials.Althoughnotamongthetopten,weve
includedtheUnitedStatesonthelisttogiveperspectiveastowhereAmericaranksinternationallyinterms
of corruption and economic strife. By Transparency Internationals calculations and scale, the U.S. is
sittingfairlypretty,althoughitscommonknowledgethattherearedefinitelyissueswithhowthingsare
runinWashington.
Oftentimes,specificpowerstructuresandgovernmentarchitecturesprovideaneasiermeansforcorrupt
politicians,businessmen,ormilitaryofficialstoexploitthesystem.Manygovernmentshavetheirrootsin
constitutionsfromgenerationsago,andhaveoutgrowntheircurrentsystems.Manyothercountriesare
ruledbyavarietyofindependenttribal leadersandoftenlackacentralizedpowerstructurewithany
meaningfulsway.

Herearethemostcorruptnationsintheworld,asrankedbyTransparencyInternational.

10. Eritrea

Corruption score: 18

Power structure: Single-Party Presidential Democracy

9. Libya

Corruption score: 18

Power structure: Transitional

8. Uzbekistan

Corruption score: 18

Power structure: Republic

7. Turkmenistan

Corruption score: 17

Power structure: Presidential Democracy/Authoritarian

6. Iraq

Corruption score: 16

Power structure: Federal Parliamentary Constitutional Republic (ostensibly)

5. South Sudan

Corruption score: 15

Power structure: Republic

4. Afghanistan

Corruption score: 12

Power structure: Islamic Republic

3. Sudan

Corruption score: 11

Power structure: Federal Republic

Tie 1. North Korea

Corruption score: 8

Power structure: Dictatorship

Tie 1. Somalia

Corruption score: 8

Power structure: Almost none; in the process of building a federal parliamentary

republic CIA

Honorable Mention: The United States

Corruption score: 74

power structure: Democratic Republic

The 10 Poorest Countries in the World

According to 2011 data released on Wednesday by the U.S. Census
Bureau, 15% of individuals in the United States live below the poverty
line. While down from 15.1% last year, it remains statistically
unchanged and near a record high. Today, more than 46 million people
live in poverty in America, more than at any point in the countrys
history.
World Bank data for the percentage of residents who are living below
their national poverty lines. Data was only available for 112 developing
nations. In addition, we considered GDP per capita, gross domestic
product, HIV/AIDS prevalence, life expectancy, unemployment, infant
mortality and primary school enrollment all from the World Bank.
The presence of extreme poverty usually coincides with significant
obstacles, including limited resources, disease, famine and war.
Thesearethe10poorestcountriesintheworld.
10.SaoTomeandPrincipe
Povertyrate:66.2%
Population:168,526
GDP:$248million(5thlowest)
GDPpercapita:$1,473(48thlowest)

9. Sierra Leone
Poverty rate: 66.4%
Population: 5,997,486
GDP: $2.24 billion (36th lowest)
GDP per capita: $374 (4th lowest)
8. Burundi
Poverty rate: 66.9%
Population: 8,575,172
GDP: $2.33 billion (38th lowest)
GDP per capita: $271 (2nd lowest)

7. Madagascar
Poverty rate: 68.7%
Population: 21,315,135
GDP: $9.95 billion (73rd lowest)
GDP per capita: $467 (7th lowest)
6. Eritrea
Poverty rate: 69.0%
Population: 5,415,280
GDP: $2.61 billion (40th lowest)
GDP per capita: $482 (8th lowest)
5. Swaziland
Poverty rate: 69.2%
Population: 1,067,773
GDP: $3.98 billion (47th lowest)
GDP per capita: $3,725 (82nd lowest)
4. Congo (Democratic Republic)
Poverty rate: 71.3%
Population: 67,757,577
GDP: $15.64 billion (91st lowest)
GDP per capita: $231 (the lowest)
3. Zimbabwe
Poverty rate: 72%
Population: 12,754,378
GDP: $9.9 billion (72nd lowest)
GDP per capita: $776 (25th lowest)
2. Equatorial Guinea
Poverty rate: 76.8%
Population: 720,213
GDP: $19.79 billion (99th lowest)
GDP per capita: $27,478 (40th highest)
1. Haiti
Poverty rate: 77%
Population: 10,123,787
GDP: $7.35 billion (66th lowest)
GDP per capita: $726 (22nd lowest)