New Delhi: Although it fared better by only one notch from 2019, India's ranked 77th in global list of countries that measured business bribery risk in 2020 list which is compiled annually by TRACE, an anti-bribery standard-setting organisation.

India fared better than its neighbors which include Pakistan, China, Nepal and Bangladesh with the exception of Bhutan, which secured 48th rank with a score of 37, while the bottom ranks have been taken up by North Korea, Turkmenistan, South Sudan, Venezuela and Eritrea and the top on the lists were countries of Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand.

Sharing India's score were Peru, Jordan, North Macedonia, Colombia and Montenegro at 45 in the matrix. Interestingly Somalia moved out of the bottom ranking, which it held from 2017 to 2019, and is now ranked 187th out of 194. 

The statement from TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix said it measures the likelihood of bribe demands in 194 jurisdictions. It was originally published in 2014 to meet a need in the business community for more reliable, nuanced information about the risks of commercial bribery worldwide.

This data helps companies to assess the likely risk of bribe demands in each country and to design compliance and due diligence programs tailored to that risk, it said.

The matrix aggregates relevant data obtained from leading public interest and international organisations, including the United Nations, World Bank, V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg and World Economic Forum.