By the Caribbean Journal staff

Barbados has the lowest perceived level of public-sector corruption in CARICOM, according to a report released by Transparency International.

Barbados has a corruption perception score of 7.8, which is higher than the United States, and tied for 16th in the world.

The Bahamas is second in the Caribbean, according to the list, followed by St Lucia, which has a score of 7 and was the third-cleanest Caribbean country in terms of corruption perception in the report.

Several countries, including St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Belize, were not included in the index.

The scale goes from 0 (highly corrupt) to 10 (Very clean).

New Zealand was ranked the cleanest country in the world in the report.

The index draws on assessments and opinion surveys carried out by “independent and reputable institutions.”

The questions on the surveys relate to issues including bribery of officials, kickbacks, embezzlement of public funds and the effectiveness of anti-crime measures.

See below for the full list: