The Asia-Pacific region made little to no progress on anti-corruption last year, according to Transparency International.
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The NGO, which released its corruption perceptions index for 2018 yesterday, said while some Pacific Islands have made progress, the region has suffered as a whole and allowed democratic institutions and political rights in the region to become weakened.
In the Pacific, Papua New Guinea scored the worst in 2018, with a ranking of 138 out of the 180 countries surveyed, up one point from 2017.
Transparency International's PNG chapter said corruption was rife in the country.
But the NGO said Vanuatu made progress with new legislation to improve access to information and government accountability.
The Solomon Islands was recognised for passing a comprehensive anti-corruption law.
Transparency International said Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands also had strong political engagement with youth.