NEW YORK, Jan. 24 - Ukraine still remains among the most corrupt countries in the world, according to a report released today by Transparency International.

The former Soviet state, which is battling both a legacy of corruption and a separatist insurgency in its eastern regions, ranked 131st out of 176 countries ranked by the group's 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index. It was tied for that dubious distinction by Iran, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Russia.

The country's overall index score, at 29, was little changed from 2015's 27.

Tied for first place on the index were Denmark and New Zealand, with scores of 90. Occupying last place is Somalia (10), only slightly more corrupt, according to the index, than South Sudan (11) and North Korea (12).

“More countries declined than improved in this year's results, showing the urgent need to thwart corruption,“ the group stated.

Over two-thirds of the 176 countries in this year's index fell below the midpoint on the scale between 0 (highly corrupt) and 100 (very clean).

“Cases like Petrobras and Oderbrecht in Brazil or the saga of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine show how the collusion between businesses and politicians siphons off billions of dollars in revenue from national economies, benefiting the few at the expense of the many,“ the group said. “This kind of systemic grand corruption violates human rights, prevents sustainable development and fuels social exclusion." (ti/ez)