The Bahamas ranked 22nd in the world on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2012 report, which means that it is perceived as a notably transparent country. The report was published by Transparency International, which is a "global civil society organization leading the fight against corruption". The Bahamas ranked third in the region and 21st in the world on the CPI last year. In the region, Canada, Barbados, the United States and Chile ranked higher than The Bahamas in the 2012 report. "We know corruption is a problem around the world," the report stated.

"But how bad is it and what can be done? The Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in countries worldwide. Based on expert opinion, countries are scored from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Some countries score well, but no country scores a perfect 100. "Two-thirds of the 176 countries ranked in the 2012 index scored below 50, showing that public institutions need to be more transparent, and powerful officials more accountable." The Bahamas scored 71.

The CPI forces governments to take notice of corruption within their respective countries, the report noted. "But recognizing the problem is only the first step towards a solution. That is why we help citizens to demand accountability from their leaders," the report said. "And we show governments what they can do to tackle corruption. Together, we can make corruption a thing of the past." Denmark, Finland and New Zealand ranked as the most transparent countries on the list and Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia as the least transparent.

A country/territory is included on the index only if it has a minimum of three of the CPI's sources. Sources include the World Bank -- Country Performance and Institutional Assessment, and the World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey (EOS), 2011. Therefore, "inclusion in the index is not an indication of the existence of corruption but rather dependents solely on the availability of sufficient information".

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