Mexico is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a politician, with assassinations of elected officials shockingly commonplace in the country. The 500 members of the Chamber of Deputies are paid a salary five and a half times higher than the nation's average and get free flights and other plum benefits.

Given the risks they face, a bumper pay package seems reasonable. Nonetheless, Mexico is the third most corrupt country in this round-up, and the heavily expensed lifestyles of the deputies have generated a fair amount of criticism over the years.