Ireland one of least corrupt nations

IRELAND is regarded as one of the least corrupt countries in the world, according to a major international report published yesterday.

The United Nations report, which ranks countries under categories such as health and education, says Ireland is seen as less corrupt than the industrial superpowers such as the US, Japan, Germany and France.

The report, based on surveys and the perceptions of business people and risk analysts, says Scandinavian countries are the least corrupt, while Ireland ranks in 13th place out of 173 countries surveyed.