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Compared to 2013, situation in Latvia has slightly improved. In 2013, with a score of 53 on a scale of 100, Latvia was ranked 49th (same as Costa Rica and Rwanda). This year, with a score of 55, Latvia shares 43rd place with Malta, South Korea, and Seychelles.

Nevertheless, Latvia is still behind Estonia, which scored 69 points and is 26th on the list. Lithuania, with a score of 58, is 39th.

In 2013, Estonia was on the 28th position among 177 states, Public Broadcasting reports. Estonia shared the position with France and Qatar, the Corruption Free Estonia Society, Estonian representative of Transparency International.

Estonia had 69 points this year and 68 points last year. In 2012 Estonia had 64 points and the 32nd place.

"Estonia's result of improved slightly, it shows a decrease in corruption in the public sector," said the chairman of the board of Corruption Free Estonia Jaanus Tehver. "In the long run, however, looking at the situation in Estonia it can be called standstill, because there is no qualitative leap upward."

To improve Estonia's results, the society estimates that more attention needs to be paid to the prevention of corruption, because fighting the consequences is costly and inefficient. Also, personal example of state leaders is inadequate.

Belarus is 119th, Russia – 136th, while Ukraine is ranked 142nd as Europe's most corrupted country.

Corruption has increased in several of the world's best-performing economies, such as China and Turkey, as rising growth has encouraged abuse of power.

"The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that economic growth is undermined and efforts to stop corruption fade when leaders and high level officials abuse power to appropriate public funds for personal gain," said "Transparency International" head Jose Ugaz.

Denmark tops Transparency's index with a score of 92 this year, followed by New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, and Norway. North Korea and Somalia share last place with a score of eight.

Transparency's annual corruption index analyzes the abuse of power, secret dealings and bribery in a country's public sector. High levels of corruption are indicated by a low score.