South Korea has risen in ranking for the fifth year on a transparency index to stand at 32nd out of 180 countries.

According to the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index released by Berlin-based Transparency International on Tuesday, South Korea edged up a notch from last year, scoring 62 points.

Among the 38 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD), South Korea ranked 22nd, up from 23rd a year ago.

This year, Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tied at first place with 88 points, followed by Norway, Singapore and Sweden jointly ranking fourth. South Sudan was dead last while North Korea ranked 174th alongside Afghanistan and Yemen. 

Transparency International said South Korea saw improvement in the political sector and economic indicators such as national competitiveness. 

However, it noted that public sector corruption is at a standstill and an overall ranking of 32nd is still low for an economy that is among the tenth largest in the world.