Tonga’s ranking on the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index list has been excluded since 2012 due to insufficient survey information.

Marwa Fatafta from the Communications Department of Transparency International said that just because a country is not included on the list does not mean that corruption doesn’t exist in the country.

“For a country/territory to be included in the ranking, it must be included in a minimum of three of the CPI’s data sources,” said Marwa.

Tonga’s last assessment was 2011 where it fared better than the previous year ranking 95 on the CPI list. In 2010, Tonga ranked 164 on the list, one from the very bottom.

Over the last five years, Papua New Guinea has been the only Pacific Island country on the annual list except for Samoa appearing once in 2014.

Data sources from credible institutions such as the World Bank, Economist Intelligence Unit, Global Insight, and the Bertelsmann Foundation are just some used to compile a corruption assessment of each country.

This year's Index was calculated using 13 different data sources that capture perceptions of corruption within the past two years.

While Transparency International (TI) says that while no country is ever corruption free, monitoring and reporting on corruption is important to measure it, expose it, and curb it on a global scale.

Established in 1993, TI has more than 100 chapters worldwide and an international secretariat in Berlin.

TI gives a voice to victims and witnesses of corruption and works with governments, businesses and citizens to stop the abuse of power, bribery and secret.