Which country in North America has the best control of corruption?

Canada has the best control of corruption in North America: an estimate of +1.63 (2024). Next come the Bahamas (an estimate of +1.23) and Barbados (an estimate of +1.23).

Which country in North America has the worst control of corruption?

Haiti, with an estimate of −1.54 (2024).

What is the typical control of corruption of a country in North America?

The median of the 23 countries in North America is an estimate of −0.10: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.

Where do the figures come from?

How well public power is kept from being used for private gain, petty or grand, as the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators estimate it from surveys and experts: about −2.5 (most corrupt) to +2.5 (least). Source: World Bank, 2024. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Countries in North America by control of corruption

How well public power is kept from being used for private gain, petty or grand, as the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators estimate it from surveys and experts: about −2.5 (most corrupt) to +2.5 (least). 23 countries in North America, highest first. World Bank, 2024

See it on the map

Map: Control of corruption — North America — **−1.5−0.75−0.25+0.25+0.75+1.5**No data

Highest

+1.63

Canada

Median country

−0.10

half above, half below

Lowest

−1.54

Haiti

Countries in North America by control of corruption, World Bank, 2024
#	Country	Estimate	Region
1	Canada	+1.63	Northern America
=2	Bahamas	+1.23	Caribbean
=2	Barbados	+1.23	Caribbean
4	United States	+1.09	Northern America
5	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	+0.71	Caribbean
6	Costa Rica	+0.68	Central America
7	Dominica	+0.53	Caribbean
8	Grenada	+0.48	Caribbean
9	Saint Lucia	+0.45	Caribbean
10	Saint Kitts and Nevis	+0.35	Caribbean
11	Antigua and Barbuda	+0.28	Caribbean
12	Jamaica	−0.10	Caribbean
13	Belize	−0.16	Central America
14	Cuba	−0.23	Caribbean
15	Dominican Republic	−0.27	Caribbean
16	Trinidad and Tobago	−0.34	Caribbean
17	Panama	−0.55	Central America
18	El Salvador	−0.58	Central America
19	Mexico	−0.94	Central America
20	Guatemala	−0.95	Central America
21	Honduras	−1.24	Central America
22	Nicaragua	−1.43	Central America
23	Haiti	−1.54	Caribbean

Territories and other places

Not ranked: dependencies of the states above, places whose status is disputed. Highest first.

Place	Estimate	Status
Greenland	+1.48	Territory of Denmark
Bermuda	+1.18	Territory of United Kingdom
Aruba	+0.87	Territory of Netherlands
Cayman Islands	+0.60	Territory of United Kingdom
Puerto Rico	+0.40	Territory of United States of America
US Virgin Islands	−0.07	Territory of United States of America

Questions

Which country in North America has the best control of corruption?: Canada has the best control of corruption in North America: an estimate of +1.63 (2024). Next come the Bahamas (an estimate of +1.23) and Barbados (an estimate of +1.23).
Which country in North America has the worst control of corruption?: Haiti, with an estimate of −1.54 (2024).
What is the typical control of corruption of a country in North America?: The median of the 23 countries in North America is an estimate of −0.10: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
Where do the figures come from?: How well public power is kept from being used for private gain, petty or grand, as the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators estimate it from surveys and experts: about −2.5 (most corrupt) to +2.5 (least). Source: World Bank, 2024. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.

Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.