Global Corruption Report: 2003 (Transparency International Global Corruption Reports)

Corruption skews democratic development and undermines trust in the political process. It distorts trade, misdirects investment and limits economic growth. Above all, corruption denies people around the world a better quality of life, taking food, medicine, education and support. And it always hits the poor the hardest, taking money from them for the rich. There are special sections on corruption and the arms trade, money laundering, and regional reports covering the tentative progress and disappointing setbacks in the fight against corruption in 2001. The squeaky cleanest country in the world is Finland; the worst is Bangladesh; Britain comes 13th, ahead of the United States at 16th and France at 23rd; Greece is worst in the EU at 42nd.