These are the 13 most corrupt countries in Europe

Thomas Chenel and Qayyah Moynihan ,

Feb 13, 2019, 6:21 PM Orava castle in Oravsky Podzamok in Slovakia.

Slovakia was among some of the more corrupt countries in Europe.

Shutterstock

Generally, European nations tend not to experience high levels of corruption when compared with nations in other parts of the world.
While EU member states enjoy relatively low levels of corruption, there's still a surprisingly varied level of corruption from one European nation to another.
The anti-corruption nongovernmental organization Transparency International has compiled a Corruption Perceptions Index using 13 surveys and expert assessments to give countries "corruption scores."

According to Transparency International, a global anti-corruption nongovernmental organization, the European Union is one of the least corrupt areas in the world.

But while it may well be the case that Europe experiences low levels of corruption relative to the rest of the world, there's still room for improvement, as well as considerable disparity in corruption levels from one nation to the next.

The organization has put together another edition of its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, drawing on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public-sector corruption in 180 countries and territories. Each country is given a score from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

Countries with high levels of corruption can be dangerous spots for political opponents — practically all countries where political killings are ordered or condoned by the government are rated as highly corrupt on the CPI, according to the organization.

Below are the 13 most corrupt countries in the European Union, according to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.

T11. Cyprus — 59 points

Cyprus island, Mediterranean Sea.

Shutterstock

Cyprus gained 2 points in the ranking from 57 points the previous year, improving on its score in the index.

T11. Czech Republic — 59 points

Scenic spring sunset aerial view of the Old Town pier architecture and Charles Bridge over Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. — Prague, Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic improved from 57 points last year, gaining 2 points.

The nation was listed by Transparency International as one of the "countries to watch."

T11. Lithuania — 59 points

Lithuania hasn't budged from its position in the previous year, staying at 59 points.

T9. Latvia — 58 Points

Like Lithuania, Latvia hasn't improved or worsened compared with the previous year, remaining at 58 points.

T9. Spain — 58 points

seville cathedral of saint mary of the See unsplash Henrique Ferreira — Seville, Spain.

Since the previous edition of the index, Spain has improved by 1 point from 57 in the previous year.

8. Malta — 54 points

View from above of the golden domes of churches and roofs with church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral, Valletta, Capital city of Malta. — Valletta, Malta.

Malta was listed as a "decliner" in the index, losing 2 points from the previous year.

7. Italy — 52 points

After gaining 2 points, Italy has improved since the previous index was released.

6. Slovakia — 50 points

Since last year, Slovakia hasn't shifted.

It scored 50 points again, showing no signs of improvement or decline.

5. Croatia — 48 points

Croatia's score in the corruption perceptions index worsened by one point.

4. Romania — 47 points

Sighisoara transylvania romania — Sighisoara, Romania.

In this edition of the index, Romania's score in the corruption perceptions index worsened by one point compared with the previous year.

3. Hungary — 46 points

Though Hungary has improved in its score to 46 points from 45 points, it's still relatively high on the index compared with other European countries.

2. Greece — 45 points

While Greece scored 48 points in the previous index, the results of the most recent edition suggest it has worsened in terms of its corruption perceptions.

1. Bulgaria — 42 points

Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, — Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.

Considering Bulgaria is already at the top of the European Union countries in the index, it's bad news that the nation has worsened by one point compared with the previous year.

Read the original article on Business Insider France. Copyright 2019.

This post has been translated from French.