Slovakia finished 57th out of 180 countries worldwide, in the world ranking of Transparency International's perceived corruption index for last year. This is Slovakia's worst placement in the rankings since 2013. According to the watchdog Transparency International, although minor corruption in the form of small bribes has declined in Slovakia in recent years, major corruption, often involving political connections, made headlines last year after the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak, who reported extensively on such cases. Last year, only 47 people were prosecuted for corruption in Slovakia, the lowest number since 2009. Denmark and New Zealand are the least corrupt countries in the world according to the ranking, while Somalia, Syria and South Sudan are the worst. The index - which is compiled based on surveys among businesses, experts and analysts - rates countries from the viewpoint of perceived corruption in connection with public officials and politicians.
