Be it rigged elections, bribery, or counterfeit medicines trickling into hospitals, this map shows how widespread backroom deals are across the world.

The majority of the map, which has been created by Statista, is coloured in a concerning reddish hue denoting a high level of corruption, with Somalia and North Korea topping the list - scoring eight out of a potential perfect score of 100.

The most corrupt countries in the world

Denmark, New Zealand, Finland and Sweden meanwhile scored the best in the research compiled by the non-governmental organisation Transparency International.

However, no countries scored a perfect 100, or “very clean”, or a “highly corrupt” zero in its most recent Corruptions Perceptions Index.

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The researchers flagged Australia as a particularly concerning country. Despite being represented by a relatively healthy-looking yellow colour on the map, the country has continued its slide down the list, and fallen out of the top ten to 11.

The 20 'least corrupt' countries in the world 1 Denmark 92 2 New Zealand 91 3 Finland 89 4 Sweden 87 5 Norway 86 5 Switzerland 86 7 Singapore 84 8 Netherlands 83 9 Luxembourg 82 10 Canada 81 11 Australia 80 12 Germany 79 12 Iceland 79 14 United Kingdom 78 15 Belgium 76 15 Japan 76 17 Barbados 74 17 Hong Kong 74 17 Ireland 74 17 United States 74

Experts cited note-printing scandals and corruption investigations for its relatively poor performance.

Other countries with a worryingly red representation on the map include the expanding economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey.

Jose Ugaz, the chair of Transparency International, explained in a release with the report: “Fast-growing economies whose governments refuse to be transparent and tolerate corruption, create a culture of impunity in which corruption thrives.”

The UK, meanwhile, placed at 14: a result regarded as disappointing by researchers, who said the it should be in the top 10.

Meanwhile, the destabilising impact of bloody conflicts and violence was made clear in the low rankings of Sudan, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Iraq, which followed Somalia and North Korea.

The 20 'most corrupt' countries in the world 156 Cambodia 21 156 Myanmar 21 156 Zimbabwe 21 159 Burundi 20 159 Syria 20 161 Angola 19 161 Guinea-Bissau 19 161 Haiti 19 161 Venezuela 19 161 Yemen 19 166 Eritrea 18 166 Libya 18 166 Uzbekistan 18 169 Turkmenistan 17 170 Iraq 16 171 South Sudan 15 172 Afghanistan 12 173 Sudan 11 174 Korea (North)8 174 Somalia 8

However Afghanistan was also among the nations praised for making great improvements, rising by five points since 2013, alongside Jordan, Mali and Swaziland rising by four.

Côte d´Ivoire, Egypt, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, also rose by five points.

“Bribes and backroom deals don’t just steal resources from the most vulnerable – they undermine justice and economic development, and destroy public trust in government and leaders,” the body warned.

Transparency International has launched a campaign called Unmask the Corrupt, and has called on other nations and bodies to follow Denmark’s example.

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