Poland improves on corruption, but still worst among EU 25

Poland shared 58th place with Turkey and Lithuania in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.

The index, published each year, focuses on how businesspeople and other professionals perceive corruption in their country. Poland's score improved by 0.4 points this year to 4.6. The point system ranges from one (very corrupt) to 10 (least corrupt).

Stanisław Cichocki, executive director at Transparency International, said that Poland was a leader amongst countries trying to change for the better.

According to the report, the performance of Greece, Italy, the Czech Republic and Poland was poor and "showed little or no sign of improvement." The report adds that due to this the EU's credibility could be weakened in the fight against corruption among new members and countries in line for accession.

Iraq and Myanmar tied for second-most corrupt in the ranking, while Somalia took last place.

"In the poorest countries, corruption levels can mean the difference between life and death, when money for hospitals or clean water is in play," said Huguette Labelle, chair of Transparency International.

Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden took the three highest spots in the 180-country index.