Alexandra Gibbs, Special to CNBC.com
<p>The world&#039;s most corrupt country
is...</p>
<p>CNBC&#039;s Phil Han finds out which country
has been ranked as the world&#039;s most corrupt by Transparency
International. </p>
Despite a well-publicized campaign to combat graft and
crack down on corrupt public officials, China has lost the shine on its
halo, being labeled more corrupt this year than it was in 2013.
China posted one of the worst rises in corruption of any country in this year's "Corruption Perceptions Index" by lobbying group Transparency International. The country dropped to 100th out of 175 countries, from 80th in 2013.
"The (Chinese) government has recognized the need to follow officials who hide ill-gotten gains overseas," said Transparency International in its report, out Wednesday.
China posted one of the worst rises in corruption of any country in this year's "Corruption Perceptions Index" by lobbying group Transparency International. The country dropped to 100th out of 175 countries, from 80th in 2013.
"The (Chinese) government has recognized the need to follow officials who hide ill-gotten gains overseas," said Transparency International in its report, out Wednesday.
"This January, leaked documents revealed 22,000 offshore
clients from China and Hong Kong, including many of the country's
leaders."
Read MoreChinese general's home raided in corruption probe
Transparency International ranked countries in order of how "clean" or "corrupt" they were in in relation to others. Indicators of corruption included bribery and a
lack of punishment for crimes, unresponsive public institutions and opaque government.
Only in Turkey did corruption worsen more than in China, with Angola, Malawi and Rwanda all deteriorating by a similar amount to the world's most populous country.
Read MoreChinese general's home raided in corruption probe
Transparency International ranked countries in order of how "clean" or "corrupt" they were in in relation to others. Indicators of corruption included bribery and a
lack of punishment for crimes, unresponsive public institutions and opaque government.
Only in Turkey did corruption worsen more than in China, with Angola, Malawi and Rwanda all deteriorating by a similar amount to the world's most populous country.
Denmark came out as the "cleanest" country, followed by
New Zealand and neighboring Nordic countries, Finland, Norway and
Sweden. Afghanistan and Jordan were among the top improvers.
The most corrupt countries in the world were North Korea and Somalia. Russia showed only a small uptick in corruption, but remained lowly ranked in joint 136 place.
The most corrupt countries in the world were North Korea and Somalia. Russia showed only a small uptick in corruption, but remained lowly ranked in joint 136 place.
"Countries at the bottom need to adopt radical
anti-corruption measures in favor of their people. Countries at the top
of the index should make sure they don't export corrupt practices," said
José Ugaz, the chair of Transparency International, in the report.
Read MoreChina takes anti-corruption drive overseas
"Grand corruption in big economies not only blocks basic human rights for the poorest but also creates governance problems and instability."
One way to reduce corruption is to increase the number of companies using public registers, said Cobus de Swardt, managing director of Transparency International, as this would "make it harder for the corrupt to take off with the spoils."
Read MorePetrobras scandal is shaking Brazil
The corruption index came after the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published its Foreign Bribery Report on Tuesday. The OECD analyzed over 400 cases of bribery and found that roughly half of these involved input from CEOs or corporate management. A total of only 261 fines were enforced on companies and individuals involved in the cases.
Read MoreChina takes anti-corruption drive overseas
"Grand corruption in big economies not only blocks basic human rights for the poorest but also creates governance problems and instability."
One way to reduce corruption is to increase the number of companies using public registers, said Cobus de Swardt, managing director of Transparency International, as this would "make it harder for the corrupt to take off with the spoils."
Read MorePetrobras scandal is shaking Brazil
The corruption index came after the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published its Foreign Bribery Report on Tuesday. The OECD analyzed over 400 cases of bribery and found that roughly half of these involved input from CEOs or corporate management. A total of only 261 fines were enforced on companies and individuals involved in the cases.
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