South Africa 82nd out of 180 countries on global corruption ranking

South Africa’s battle against corruption appears to be at a standstill, according to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday.

The country scored 41, unchanged from last year, falling below the global average of 43 and marking a three-point decline since 2019.

The results are given on a scale of 0, which is considered “highly corrupt”, to 100, which is “very clean”.

South Africa ranks 82nd of 180 countries.

Denmark is the least corrupt country in the world with 90 points and South Sudan is the most corrupt with eight points.

The data sources used to compile the CPI cover:

• bribery;
• diversion of public funds;
• officials using their public office for private gain without consequences;
• the government's ability to contain public sector corruption;
• excessive red tape that may increase corruption opportunities;
• nepotistic civil service appointments;
• laws requiring public officials to disclose finances and conflicts of interest;
• legal protection for whistle-blowers;
• state capture by narrow vested interests; and
• access to information on public affairs and government activities.

The index does not consider:

• citizens' direct perceptions or experiences of corruption;
• tax fraud;
• illicit financial flows;
• money laundering; and
• private sector corruption.

“While 32 countries have significantly reduced their corruption levels since 2012, there’s still a huge amount of work to be done — 148 countries have stayed stagnant or got worse during the same period. The global average of 43 has also stood still for years, while more than two-thirds of countries score below 50. Billions of people live in countries where corruption destroys lives and undermines human rights,” said Transparency International.

TI chair François Valérian said corruption was an evolving global threat that does far more than undermine development.

“It is a key cause of declining democracy, instability and human rights violations. The international community and every nation must make tackling corruption a top and long-term priority.

“This is crucial to pushing back against authoritarianism and securing a peaceful, free and sustainable world. The dangerous trends revealed in this year's CPI highlight the need to follow through with concrete action now to address global corruption,” he said.

TI believes corruption is strongly intertwined with one of “the biggest challenges humanity faces: climate change”.

“Huge numbers of people around the world suffer severe consequences of global heating, as funds intended to help countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and protect vulnerable populations are stolen or misused.

“ Corruption in the form of undue influence obstructs policies aimed at addressing the climate crisis and leads to environmental damage. Protecting climate mitigation and adaptation efforts from corruption will make these life-saving activities more effective and benefit people in need.

“Many nations with high CPI scores have the resources and power to drive corruption-resistant climate action around the world, but instead they often serve the interests of fossil fuel companies. Some of these countries are also home to financial hubs that attract illicit funds stemming from corruption, environmental destruction and other crime. While the CPI does not measure this, dirty money poses a major corruption problem with harmful effects that reach far beyond these countries’ borders,” said TI.

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