Most countries not making progress against corruption
Berlin, 30 January 2024 – The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released today by Transparency International indicates a region consistently marked by its poor performance, with most African nations showing stagnation or failing to make progress against corruption. Significant improvement has been noted in countries like Seychelles (71), Angola (33) and Cote d’Ivoire (40).
The findings underscore the persistent challenges faced by the region, rooted in decades of severe underfunding in public sectors. The detrimental impact of corruption and illicit financial flows further compounds these issues, siphoning crucial resources away from essential public services. Corruption within justice delivery mechanisms continues to disproportionately affect the least privileged, including those reliant on public services such as those living with disabilities, women, and children.
Samuel Kaninda, Africa Regional Advisor of Transparency International said:
“With the resurgence of coups and conflicts happening in a number of countries on the continent, democracy across Africa is under pressure. Addressing the underlying governance deficits becomes an urgent imperative. Strengthening the judiciary and having functioning accountability mechanisms are key to ending the continued backsliding of the region in its fight against corruption.”
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA HIGHLIGHTS
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Most African countries showed stagnation, maintaining the region’s consistently poor performance, with an unchanged regional average score of 33. Ninety per cent of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa scored below 50.
Seychelles (71) tops the region, followed by Cabo Verde (64) and Botswana (59). Equatorial Guinea (17), South Sudan (13) and Somalia (11) perform the lowest with no sign of improvement.
For each country’s individual score and changes over time, see the global 2023 CPI page. For in-depth analysis on tr
