Governments around the world used Covid to erode human rights – report

Transparency International ranking reveals decade of standstill on tackling corruption, with many countries reaching historic lows in 2021

• Reparations to the Caribbean could break the cycle of corruption - and China's grip

The global fight against corruption has been at a standstill for a decade, with 86% of countries either worsening or making no progress in tackling the problem, and with numerous governments accused of using the pandemic to erode human rights and democracy, a report has found.

Transparency International's annual corruption ranking, published on Tuesday, also found countries that violate civil liberties consistently have low scores, underlining how failure to tackle corruption exacerbates human rights abuses and undermines democracy.