With a score of 2.2, PNG was perceived as more corrupt than the Solomon Islands which was rated with a more respectable 2.7 out of 10 - just ahead of resources-rich Philippines which scored 2.6.

While Fiji was not assessed in the corruption index, PNG was otherwise a standout poor performer for the Asia Pacific region.

New Zealand came out on top in the index with a score of 9.5, Australia was ranked eighth with a score of 8.8 and Canada landed in tenth spot with a score of 8.7.

The major mining nation of South Africa scored 4.1, the US notched up 7.1, China received 3.6 while Russia only got 2.4 points.

Inflation-ravaged Zimbabwe matched PNG's corruption index score of 2.2, along with Laos, Congo Republic, Paraguay and Kenya. But all those nations were perceived as better than war-torn Libya (2.0), Iraq (1.8), Sudan (1.6) and Afghanistan (1.5).

Somalia and North Korea were rated as the most corrupt countries with a score of 1 out of 10.