India among the world's most corrupt nations!

While in 2008, India was at the 85th position, it was ranked at 84 in 2009. Even countries like Rwanda (66), Ghana(62), Namibia (56) and Botswana (33) are ahead of India in terms of transparency.

Countries which are perceived to have the highest levels of public-sector corruption are also those plagued by long-standing conflicts, which have torn apart their governance infrastructure.

With governments committing huge sums to tackle the world's most pressing problems, from the instability of financial markets to climate change and poverty, corruption remains an obstacle to achieving much needed progress, according to Transparency International's 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), a measure of domestic, public sector corruption.

Click NEXT to find out the world's 10 most corrupt nations...

The 2010 CPI shows that nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index score below five, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption), indicating a serious corruption problem.

The Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Madagascar, Niger and the United States showed deterioration compared to last year.

Afghanistan also has a score of 1.4 so it shares the second position with Myanmar. Poverty, violence and corruption are the biggest challenges confronting Afghanistan.

With a score of 1.5, Iraq is the 4th most corrupt nation. Since the days of Saddam Hussein, the country has seen rampant corruption. Two decades of war has devastated the nation's economy.

Uzbekistan scores a dismal 1.6 in the transparency index, making it the fifth most corrupt nation.  Three nations share the same point.

The decliners over the past year are some of the countries most affected by a financial crisis precipitated by transparency and integrity deficits.

Turkmenistan also figures among the most corrupt nations with a score of 1.6.

Turkmenistan's financial system remains heavily government-influenced, and the flow of financial resources is severely restricted. Many banks are insolvent by international standards, and the financial sector is dominated by state-controlled institutions.

Violence and political instability has wrecked the country's economic stability. It also has a score of 1.6.

The entrepreneurial environment in Sudan is characterized by corruption and a lack of transparency in the enforcement of regulations.

Chad scores very poorly on such institutional factors as the business and investment climate, labour market flexibility, and taxation.

The weak rule of law and rampant corruption seriously impede economic development, according to the index of economic freedom.

It has a score of 1.7, making it the 8th most corrupt nation.

Burundi is the 9th most corrupt nation with a score of 1.8.

Following years of political instability, Burundi faces major challenges. Law enforcement is weak and vulnerable to political influence. The lack of institutional capacity still delays reforms needed to restructure and modernise the economy.

...

The 10th most corrupt nation with a score of 1.9, Equatorial Guinea is a small country off West Africa with rich reserves of oil. Guinea's small financial system is dominated by banking.

Regulation is inefficient and poorly enforced. The UN says that less than half the population has access to clean drinking water and that 20 percent of children die before reaching five.

Click NEXT to find out how China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangaldesh are placed...

China has shown a slight improvement being ranked a step ahead than last year after the nation launched a massive crackdown on corruption.

Pakistan (Rank 143)

With a low score of 2.3, Pakistan has fallen further in the transparency index to be ranked at 143 among 178 countries.

Bangladesh is ahead of Pakistan with a score of 2.4.

Widespread and severe corruption among government officials and police, who engage in corrupt practices with impunity, facilitates trafficking in persons.

Given that corruption blights all other economic freedoms, this is a key area for improvement, according to the Index of Economic Freedom.

With a score of 3.2, Sri Lanka is ahead of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Anti-corruption laws and regulations are unevenly enforced. The police and the judiciary are viewed as the most corrupt public institutions.

Corruption in customs clearance enables wide-scale smuggling of certain consumer items, according to the Index of Economic Freedom.