The Transparency International figures are controversial. The full name of the index is “The Corruption Perceptions Index” and the authors are at pains to point out that corruption is difficult to measure objectively. Nonetheless, anti-corruption campaigners view the index as one of the best available measures to compare the extent to which corruption is a problem in different countries.
The latest figures for Turkey are mixed. The good news is that Turkey has improved its ranking by 7 places to 54th place, putting it level with the Czech Republic and ahead of some EU countries. I shall not name them for reasons of EU solidarity, but herewith a full list and interactive map here and an article discussing the results. Turkish friends tell me that progress has been made in recent years in numerous areas, with petty street-level corruption having been substantially cleaned up.
Set against this, Turkey may aspire to a higher place on the Corruption Perceptions Index than 54th out of 174 countries.
The Corruption Perceptions Index is one of many factors which international investors watch closely when deciding where to invest around the world; and there is widely believed to be a relationship between competitiveness and lack of corruption. That is one reason why the embassy has developed a number of projects in recent years with the Turkish Interior Ministry to address local-level corruption. I shall watch the index closely in the coming years and hope Turkey will continue to improve its standing.