South Africa goes from one of the least corrupt countries to one of the worst in 30 years

In 1995, South Africa ranked among the least corrupt countries alongside Japan and Belgium. Thirty years later, it is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

This was revealed in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which ranks 180 countries based on their perceived levels of public sector corruption.

The latest Corruption Perceptions Index showed that corruption is a dangerous problem in every part of the world.

Transparency International chair François Valérian said it was important for all nations to make tackling corruption a top and long-term priority.

“Corruption is an evolving global threat that does far more than undermine development. It is a key cause of declining democracy, instability and human rights violations,” he said.

“This is crucial to pushing back against authoritarianism and securing a peaceful, free and sustainable world.”

To highlight the corruption problem globally, Transparency International developed the CPI. The CPI score covers a wide spectrum of corruption, including bribery, diversion of public funds, and officials using their public positions for private gain.

Transparency International also considers excessive red tape in the public sector that creates opportunities for corruption.

Each country is ranked based on its perceived corruption score, which is a number between 0 and 100, where 100 is very clean and 0 is very corrupt.

The scores of all countries are then ranked according to their level of perceived corruption, which shows their relative position globally.

Since 1995, South Africa’s corruption score has fallen dramatically, from 57 to its most recent score of 41.

This signals a serious increase in corruption within South Africa since the ANC took power after the 1994 general elections.

What is particularly concerning is who South Africa’s peer countries used to be and where they are now.

In 1995, at the beginning of the country’s democracy, South Africa ranked at number 21, alongside the least corrupt nations in the world, like Japan and Belgium.

Fast-forward 30 years, and the situation looks very different. South Africa is now ranked at number 82, which means its perceived level of corruption increased markedly.

In 2024, South Africa ranked the same as Cuba (82), and its peers included countries like Vietnam, Kazakhstan, and Colombia.

The charts below show how South Africa’s ranking in Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index has plummeted over the last thirty years.

South Africa’s Perceived Corruption Ranking (lower is better)

South Africa’s Corruption Score (higher is better)