CAIRO: Egypt is ranked 98 in the index of international corruption according to Transparency International's 2010 report. The report ranked Egypt equally with Burkina Faso and Mexico. Some Arab countries ranked higher than Egypt, including Qatar (19), Oman (41), Bahrain (48), Jordan and Saudi Arabia (50), Kuwait (54), Tunisia (59) and Morocco (85). Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore were ranked number one as the least corrupt countries. Qatar was ranked as the least corrupt country in the Middle East and North Africa, earning a Transparency index of 7.7 out of 10. The UAE followed with 6.3, Israel received 6.1, Oman 5.3, Bahrain 4.9, Jordan and Saudi Arabia 4.7, Kuwait 4.5, Tunisia 4.3, Morocco 3.2. Egypt, ranked twelfth in the Middle East, received a rating of 3.1. It was followed by Algeria with 2.9, Lebanon and Syria 2.5, Iran, Libya, and Yemen 2.2. Iraq was the most corrupt country in the region, with a rating of 1.5. The report revealed that the world is more corrupt than it was last year. The organization posted the information on its website in conjunction with the World Day to Combat Corruption. BM
