Question

Make a list of the ten most corrupt countries and the ten least corrupt countries. Compare their scores on the human development index. What inferences can you draw?

Consult the latest Human Development Report for this.

Answer 1

Based on the latest data from Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index and the UNDP’s 2025 Human Development Report, there is a direct inverse relationship between corruption levels and human development scores. Countries with low public-sector corruption consistently record the highest Human Development Index (HDI) scores, while highly corrupt nations fall into the lowest HDI categories.

10 Most Corrupt Countries vs. HDI:

Country	CPI Score (Out of 100)	HDI Score	HDI Category
Equatorial Guinea	13	0.596	Medium
Libya	13	0.746	High (Crisis skewed)
Yemen	13	0.424	Low
Eritrea	13	0.493	Low
Syria	12	0.497	Low
Sudan	12	0.465	Low
Venezuela	10	0.699	Medium (Declining)
Somalia	9	0.380	Low
South Sudan	9	0.381	Low
Haiti	8	0.552	Medium

10 Least Corrupt Countries vs. HDI:

Country	CPI Score (Out of 100)	HDI Score	HDI Category
Denmark	89	0.964	Very High
Finland	88	0.962	Very High
Singapore	84	0.949	Very High
New Zealand	81	0.939	Very High
Norway	81	0.966	Very High
Switzerland	80	0.967	Very High
Sweden	80	0.952	Very High
Netherlands	79	0.946	Very High
Luxembourg	78	0.930	Very High
Germany	78	0.950	Very High