New Zealand has been ranked as perceived to be the least corrupt nation in the world in the Transparency International Corruptions Perception Index for 2017.
The index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to a range of researchers and businesspeople.
The index uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. New Zealand has a score of 89, just ahead of Denmark with 88.
New Zealand, Singapore and Canada are the only countries in the 10 least corrupt nations which are outside Europe.
The latest Index highlights that the majority of countries are making little or no progress in ending corruption. Two-thirds of countries score below 50, with an average score of 43.
Countries perceived as least corrupt, Corruptions Perception Index
| Rank | Country | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
| 1 | New Zealand | 89 | 90 | 91 |
| 2 | Denmark | 88 | 90 | 91 |
| 3 | Finland | 85 | 89 | 90 |
| 3 | Norway | 85 | 85 | 88 |
| 3 | Switzerland | 85 | 86 | 86 |
| 6 | Singapore | 84 | 84 | 85 |
| 6 | Sweden | 84 | 88 | 89 |
| 8 | Canada | 82 | 82 | 83 |
| 8 | Luxembourg | 82 | 81 | 85 |
| 8 | Netherlands | 82 | 83 | 84 |
Countries perceived as most corrupt, Corruptions Perception Index
| Rank | Country | 2017 |
| 180 | Somalia | 9 |
| 179 | South Sudan | 12 |
| 178 | Syria | 14 |
| 177 | Afghanistan | 15 |
| 176 | Yemen | 16 |
Sources of data
The data for New Zealand was compiled from eight sources, with the most sources for any country being 10. The sources used for New Zealand were the World Economic Forum EOS, IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, Bertelsmann Foundation Sustainable Governance Index, World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, PRS International Country Risk Guide, Varieties of Democracy Project and the Economist Intelligence Unit Country Ratings.
"Transparency International's top CPI score for New Zealand reflects the integrity of our public servants, Transparency International New Zealand Chair Suzanne Snively says in a statement.
"Our public sector leaders are inspiring their own people and others to harness the value that integrity and resultant good business contributes to a more prosperous New Zealand."