India betters ranking in graft index

India ranks 76 in a tie with other developing economies such as Brazil and Thailand

India has moved up nine spots on the Corruption Perceptions Index in 2015 to 76, from 85 in 2014, according to a new report by Transparency International.

But, the jump in rankings should not be construed as an improvement, as the country's score on the index has stayed at 38 in both years. The improvement in rankings is partly because fewer countries were ranked in the latest report. In 2015, 168 countries were ranked on the index, down from 175 countries in 2014.

Denmark led the rankings, followed by Finland, Sweden, New Zealand and the Netherlands. Ranked 76, India was in a tie with other developing economies such as Brazil and Thailand. Brazil was the biggest decliner, dropping 7 positions to rank 76 in 2015. China fared poorly, at 83.

The index, measured on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean), was calculated on the basis of expert opinions of public sector corruption. Countries that scored higher were the ones where the general public could hold its leaders to account. A poor score denoted widespread bribery, "lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don't respond to citizens' needs".

Top ranked countries were characterised by high levels of press freedom, access to budget information, high levels of integrity among people in power, and independent judiciaries. Two-thirds of the 168 countries scored below 50, indicating that corruption continued to be a widespread problem. However, the report said the desire for change across the world was huge. It identified India and Sri Lanka as countries where governments have been elected on anti-corruption platforms.

"As corruption continues to dominate media coverage across and beyond the region, increasing interest in the issue has sparked a raft of new research into both public and private sector corruption," it added.