While it is certainly not news to many residents, it is something else to see that foreign entities such as International Transparency out of Berlin have classified the Dominican Republic as one of the most corrupt nations in Latin America, placing the DR at number 14 in the region and number 87 in the world. The DR lost 3.3 points on the 0-10 scale and is now ranked at 2.9, one of 60 countries with less than a 3.0 rating that signifies “endemic corruption.” Each year the Berlin study group publishes its Index of Perceived Corruption (IPC), taking into consideration surveys conducted with business leaders, politicians, major institutions and analysts. This year’s report included assessments from 18 surveys and 12 different institutions. With the latest ratings, the DR fell from 71 to 87 on the list of 145 nations studied.