The Transparency International has ranked South Sudan as the second most corrupt country in the world after Somalia.

The 2022 Corruption Perception Index ranks 180 countries and territories around the world based on their perceived levels of public sector corruption, scoring on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (least corrupt).

South Sudan and Syria scored 13 percent lower after Somalia with 12 percent out of the 100 percent benchmark.

Burundi came third with 17 percent.

The report says that most countries have failed to stop corruption, with 95 per cent of them having made little to no progress since 2017.

Meanwhile, the investigative report has named Denmark as the least corrupt country globally, followed by Finland and New Zealand, both of which tie at position two.

“Leaders can fight corruption and promote peace all at once. Governments must open up space to include the public in decision-making – from activists and business owners to marginalised communities and young people.

“In democratic societies, the people can raise their voices to help root out corruption and demand a safer world for us all,” said Transparency International Chief Executive Officer Daniel Eriksson.

In 2021, TI ranked South Sudan the most corrupt country in the world, followed by Syria and Somalia which tied in the second position while Venezuela was in the fourth position.