Two-thirds of the countries around the world are considered corrupt, the Transparency International (TI) determined in their annual report, ‘Corruption Perceptions Index.’ This year, New Zealand and Denmark rank highest with scores of 89 and 88 respectively. Syria, South Sudan and Somalia rank lowest with scores of 14, 12 and 9 respectively. The best performing region is Western Europe with an average score of 66. The worst performing regions are Sub-Saharan Africa (average score 32) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (average score 34). The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. The international watchdog described this poor performance as “nothing new”, given that the majority of countries and territories ranked on the index were moving too slowly in their efforts to combat pervasive public-sector corruption, with some countries showing little-to-no progress since 2012, when TI adopted a methodology that allowed better comparisons. More than two-thirds of countries scored below 50 on the index, and the average score was 43, said TI, which has more than 100 chapters worldwide. While scores fell sharply in Syria, Yemen and Australia, some countries have significantly boosted their scores over the past six years, including Ivory Coast, Senegal and Britain. This year, TI added a third layer to their global analysis, adding the rates of violence perpetrated against members of the press. According to their research, those countries with the "worst rates of corruption" also had the lowest protection of the press and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Additionally, the majority of those journalists killed since 2012 were killed in corrupt countries. TI said an analysis including data from the Committee to Protect Journalists showed an alarming correlation between high levels of corruption and violence against journalists. It said more than 9 out of 10 journalists that were killed over the past six years were in countries that scored 45 or less on the index. One in five journalists died covering a story about corruption. TI Managing Director Patricia Moreira said, "Given current crackdowns on both civil society and the media worldwide, we need to do more to protect those who speak up." Brazil, Mexico, and Guatemala fell below average in this year’s report with ratings of 27, 29, and 28. Interestingly, all three nations have struggled with attacks against journalists in last ten years. Researchers used Brazil as a prime example, stating that in the last six years, there have been 20 journalists killed in connection with their work. However in the last year alone, there 11 Guatemalan journalists were murdered, a total of 36 media personnel killed since the year 2000. While in Mexico, 13 journalists died in connection to their work and the nation has been called the “most dangerous place in the world for journalists.” "Smear campaigns, harassment, lawsuits and bureaucratic red tape are all tools used by certain governments in an effort to quiet those who drive anti-corruption efforts," Moreira said. The organization is calling on governments that "hide behind restrictive laws" to eliminate the laws and open opportunities for further civic participation. To reduce civic involvement is to allow corruption to fester and grow and risk "the very essence of democracy and freedom," TI Chairwoman Delia Ferreira Rubio said.