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Turkey ranked 86th in the Transparency International's Corruption Index 2020, up by two places compared to the previous year.
The country scored 40 out of 100 in this year's index whereas its score was 49 in 2012.
Having scored 88 points each, New Zealand and Denmark were the "least corrupt" countries last year.
According to the index's "corruption barometer," at least eight percent of the citizens in Turkey paid a bribe in public service use in the past 12 months.
In the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, where Turkey is also included, the average score of the 19 countries was 36. Georgia, Armenia and Belarus were the highest-scoring countries in the region.
The Covid-19 pandemic also exposed governance problems across the region with some authoritarian leaderships using the crisis to increase their power, says the report.
"Covid-19 provided corrupt and authoritarian leaders with an excuse to reduce oversight of government spending and curtail civil liberties. These efforts decreased the transparency of foreign aid spending, making it difficult to track funds and ensure appropriate distribution to the intended recipients.
Research shows corruption undermines democratic rights and institutions, such as freedom of speech, access to information and an independent judiciary, and limits citizens' ability to hold their governments accountable.
The opacity in the Covid-19 response across the region highlights the importance of checks and balances and a strong integrity system." (TP/VK)
