Corruption is a curse on society.

In some societies it is so prevalent that you will find it almost impossible to conduct your daily chores without giving in to corrupt officials.

The Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International provides a list of the most corrupt to the least corrupt nations. It doesn't cover all the nations though. This index measures corruption in public sector only and not private sector.

You will observe from this list that the well managed countries seem to have less corruption than others.

Countries where the politicians use issues related to religion, race and caste to fish for votes, rather than developmental issues, appear to be more corrupt than others. Lack of education and awareness could be cited as the main reason for the masses to vote in corrupt officials. In these countries, the people value the issues related to religion, race and caste more important than developmental issues and tend to vote for candidates based on that. Corrupt officials take advantage of this to hoodwink the masses.

Even well educated people can be corrupt when they lack awareness.