Israel continues to fall in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index, according to the newest report published Tuesday, achieving its lowest score since 2012.
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Out of 180 countries, Israel ranked 36. Five years ago, the Jewish state ranked 28.
In the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index, Israel scored 59 out of 100. In 2020 Israel scored 60 points out of 100, and 64 in 2016.
The higher the score, the less corruption is plaguing the country.
Among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member-states, Israel ranked 29 out of 37, falling four places since last year.
Chairwoman of Transparency International Israel Nili Arad told The Times of Israel that this year's index "indicates that the phenomenon of corruption in Israel is strengthening."
She says this is concerning considering the COVID pandemic, "when an extra measure of transparency is needed as protection against harming the foundations of democracy."
"Israel's low ranking is a warning sign against moving toward signs of a corrupt state," she warned.
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The countries with the highest scores were Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand, tying in first with a score of 88 out of 100.
South Sudan, with a score of 11 out of 100, ranked last out of the 180 countries.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
