Jordan ranks fifth among Arab nations on Corruption Perceptions Index

Jordan ranked fifth among Arab nations in the 2020 Global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), according to a recent report.

In a statement issued Thursday, the Transparency International Organization said that Jordan scored 49 out of 100 points on the index, and has remained in the same rank among Arab nations for two years.

However, on the international level the Kingdom moved up one rank to 60 out of 180 countries on the CPI.

On the Rule of Law Index, issued by the World Justice Project, Jordan scored 51.3 points, while it declined by 1.89 points on the the Global State of Democracy Index.

The index evaluates the perceived levels of public sector corruption of 180 countries and ranks them according to the perception of experts and executives in the business sector. It is considered a composite index that relies on data collected through specialized surveys and opinion polls carried out by independent institutions to determine the degree of corruption in the public sector, by assigning a score ranging from zero for the most corrupt and 100 for the most transparency. The CPI generally defines corruption as "The misuse of public power for private benefit."

The CPI covers a range of topics of concern to the public interest, such as bribery and accountability, monitoring how public funds are used, embezzlement of public money and exploitation of public office for private gain, the government's ability to reduce corruption, red tape and bureaucratic procedures that increase opportunities for corruption, favoritism and nepotism in government jobs and positions, and prosecuting corrupt individuals, in addition to the laws governing such issues.

The index also looks into the protection of whistleblowers, journalists, and investigators, who report cases of corruption, the ability of civil society to access information of public concern, and the level of accountability given to citizens.

These topics are included under eight sources used to calculate Jordan’s score for this year, including the Transformation Index assessment, risk classification, the World Competitiveness Yearbook issued by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), the International Country Risk Guide (ICRG), the Global State of Democracy Index and the Executive Opinion Survey issued by the World Economic Forum, and the Rule of Law Index published by the World Justice Project.