The Republic has slightly improved its position in the annual Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index.
Ireland has moved from 19th position to joint 18th, a ranking it shares with the United States. The Republic scored 7.5 out of 10, having scored 6.9 out of 10 in the 2002 index.
The index measures the performance of countries in surveys that measure the extent to which politicians and public officials are perceived to be corrupt.
Finland ranked first in the 2003 index, the same position it held in 2002. Britain shared 11th position with Canada and Luxembourg.