Israel 36th in Transparency International's global corruption index

In Transparency International's 2013 Corruption Perceptions Index, Denmark and New Zealand tied for first place out of 177 countries – meaning they were perceived to have the lowest levels of state sector graft. Israel was ranked 36th, a rise from 39th last year. It finished third in the Middle East after the UAE and Qatar. 

Germany came in 12th, one notch better than 2012, while Japan slipped one place to 18. The United States and China were unchanged from 2012 levels at 19th and 80th place respectively. (Reuters)