The Netherlands has improved its position by one place in the annual Corruption Perceptions Index published on Tuesday.

The index, published annually by Transparency International, scores countries on how corrupt their public services are perceived to be.

The Netherlands has moved up one place to number eight, below countries such as Finland, Sweden, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland.

On a scale of 0 (very corrupt) to 100 (very transparent), the Netherlands scores 83 points, one point less than last year. It has jumped a place because Australia lost four points and is now ranked under the Netherlands.

Despite the slight improvement, Transparency International Nederlands’ Paul Arlman told the Nos that the country does need some ‘overdue maintenance’. In particular, he mentioned protection for whistleblowers, the financing of political parties and transparency surrounding lobbyists.