This year’s Corruption Perceptions Index, produced by Transparency International, shows that most countries are making little or no progress in ending corruption. Further analysis shows journalists and activists in corrupt countries risking their lives every day in an effort to speak out.

The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. This year, the index found that more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50, with an average score of 43. Unfortunately, compared with recent years, this poor performance is nothing new.

This year, New Zealand and Denmark - always high fliers - rank highest with scores of 89 and 88 respectively. Syria, South Sudan and Somalia rank lowest with scores of 14, 12 and 9 respectively. The best performing region is Western Europe with an average score of 66. The worst performing regions are Sub-Saharan Africa (average score 32) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (average score 34). Ukraine is the lowest-ranked emerging European country, down in 130th place.

The report equates authoritarianism with corruption. It says: "In 2017, authoritarianism rose across eastern and south east Europe, hindering anti-corruption efforts and threatening civil liberties. Across the region, NGOs and independent media experienced challenges in their ability to monitor and criticise decision-makers. For example, in Poland, government bodies took over the management and distribution of vital funds for non-government organisations. Similarly, in Romania, the government put forward a bill which imposes disproportionate reporting requirements on NGOs. Comparable laws directed at curbing NGOs also passed in countries throughout the region.”