Jamaica is perceived to be the third most corrupt country in the English-speaking Caribbean, despite its position on the Global Corruption Index being unchanged.

In 2022, Jamaica ranked 69 of 180 countries on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and this remained the same for 2023.

The findings of the survey were released this morning.

Jamaica’s 2022 c-p-i score of 44 out of 100, has also remained unchanged for 2023.

Zero means ‘highly corrupt’, and 100 ‘very clean’, 

For the ranking, 1 signifies least corrupt and 180 very corrupt.

Jamaica ranked 69th of 180 countries.

In the English-speaking Caribbean, Barbados, The Bahamas and St. Vincent came out on top as the least corrupt.

Barbados’ ranking improved from 29 in 2022 to 24 in 2023.

Barbados now has the distinction of being ranked the least corrupt of nine English-speaking Caribbean countries for four consecutive years – 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Bahamas ranked 30, St. Vincent: 36 Dominica: 42, St Lucia: 45, and Grenada: 49.

On the other hand, Trinidad and Tobago ranked 76 and is the second most corrupt country in the English-speaking Caribbean, while Guyana which scored 87 is the most corrupt.

Meantime, according to the Integrity Commission Jamaica’s score of 44 is the country’s best score ever. 

It was previously attained in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021.

The commission said in the 22 years that the Transparency International has been ranking Jamaica, the country has averaged a CPI score of only 38 of 100.

It noted that prior to its 2017 cpi score of 44 out of 100, Jamaica had never scored higher than 41 – its CPI score in 2015. 

The commission said Jamaica’s lowest CPI score ever was 30, recorded in 2009.

A CPI score of below 50 means a country has a serious corruption problem and signals prevalent bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that do not respond to citizens’ needs.

The commission said Jamaica has been firmly planted in this category for 22 years. 

In referencing Jamaica in its 2023 CPI report, Transparency International says “collusion among the powerful, as well as the overwhelming dominance of the executive over the legislature, weakens the parliament’s oversight capacities, creating conditions ripe for abuse and corruption.”