The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) analysis reveals that Southern Africa had the highest percentage of countries improving their CPI scores from 2012 to 2021 among African regions, although overall performance during this period was disappointing with most countries experiencing declines. While global CPI improvements since 2012 were minor, Southern Africa ranked third in regional performance in terms of score improvement rates. The report highlights a troubling trend of decreasing scores for many Southern African nations, contrasting with only four countries seeing score increases since 2012.

1. 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index
Southern Africa performance 2012-2021
Prepared by John Leonardo, PFMConnect,
May 2022

2. Introduction
• The charts included in this presentation focus on key trends evident in
the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2021 results for Southern Africa
for the periods 2012-2021, 2012-2017, 2017-2021 and 2020-2021
• Trends are presented on a global, regional and country basis

3. Regional CPI changes since 2012
• This chart shows the percentage change in country CPI scores between
2012 and 2021 on a regional basis for the 174 countries assessed in
both the 2012 CPI and 2021 CPI (Note: Nil values of unchanged scores
are not displayed in the chart)
• The Global data demonstrates how the proportion of increased country
scores at a global level only exceeds the proportion of reduced country
scores by a negligible amount

4. Regional CPI changes 2012-2021
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
Africa Asia Pacific Caribbean Central, North and South
America
Eastern Europe and Central
Asia
Middle East and North
Africa
Western Europe and
European Union
Global
CPI 2021: Regional percentage changes in CPI country scores
2012-2021
Increased country scores 2012-2021 No change 2012-2021 Decreased country scores 2012-2021

5. African regional CPI changes since 2012
• This chart shows the percentage change in country CPI scores in African
regions between 2012 and 2021 for countries assessed in both the 2012
CPI and 2021 CPI (Note: Nil values of unchanged scores are not
displayed in the chart)
• Southern Africa was the best performing African region during 2012
2021 in terms of the percentage of countries recording increased CPI
scores

6. CPI 2021: Trends in % changes in country scores
across African regions 2012-2021
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
North Africa 2012-2021 West Africa 2012-2021 Central Africa 2012-2021 East Africa 2012-2021 Southern Africa 2012-2021 All Africa 2012-2021 Global 2012-2021
CPI 2021: Trends in % changes in country scores across African regions 2012-2021
Increases No change Decreases

7. Southern Africa overall CPI trends 2012-2021
• This chart shows the average CPI scores recorded for Southern Africa, the African
region and all countries each year during the period 2012-2021
• Little material overall improvement in the average global CPI scores has been
achieved since 2012 (0.37%) (Note: This average has been calculated for those
countries where scores were available in both CPI 2012 and CPI 2021)

8. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2012-2021 Overall trends
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
CPI 2021: Southern Africa overall trends in Corruption Perceptions Index scores 2012-2021
Southern Africa Africa Global average

9. CPI 2021: Southern Africa rate of change in CPI
scores 2012-2021
• This chart shows the percentage change in average CPI scores recorded for Southern
African countries, the African region and all countries during the period 2012-2021
• The changes in Southern Africa’s average CPI score have been less than the changes
in the Africa average CPI score in the 2017-2021 period reversing the result achieved
in 2012-2017

10. CPI 2021: Southern Africa versus Africa and global
averages % changes in CPI scores 2012-2021
-6.00%
-5.00%
-4.00%
-3.00%
-2.00%
-1.00%
0.00%
1.00%
2.00%
2020-2021 2017-2021 2012-2017 2012-2021
CPI 2021: Southern Africa versus Africa and global averages % changes in CPI scores 2012-
2021
Southern Africa Africa Global average

11. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2021 country CPI scores
• This chart shows the 2021 CPI scores for Southern African countries

12. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2021 country CPI scores
35
35.5
36
36.5
37
37.5
38
38.5
39
39.5
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
CPI 2021: Southern African countries 2021 CPI scores

13. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2012-2021
• This chart shows the percentage change between 2012 CPI scores and
2021 CPI scores for 10 Southern African countries assessed in both the
2012 CPI and 2021 CPI
• Results summary:
– CPI score increases since 2012: 4
– CPI scores unchanged since 2012: 0
– CPI score decreases since 2012: 6

14. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2012-2021
-20.00%
-10.00%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
Mozambique Lesotho Botswana Eswatini Zambia Malawi Namibia South Africa Zimbabwe Angola
CPI 2021: Southern African countries % change in CPI scores 2012-2021

15. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2012-2017
• This chart shows the percentage change between 2012 CPI scores and
2017 CPI scores for 10 Southern African countries assessed in both the
2012 CPI and 2017 CPI
• Results summary:
– CPI score increases since 2012: 3
– CPI scores unchanged since 2012: 2 (Note: Nil unchanged percentage
scores are not displayed in the chart)
– CPI score decreases since 2012: 5

16. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2012-2017
-25.00%
-20.00%
-15.00%
-10.00%
-5.00%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
Mozambique Malawi Angola Lesotho Botswana South Africa Zambia Eswatini Namibia Zimbabwe
CPI 2021: Southern African countries % change in CPI scores 2012-2017

17. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2017-2021
• This chart shows the percentage change between 2017 CPI scores and
2021 CPI scores for 10 Southern African countries assessed in both the
2017 CPI and 2021 CPI
• Results summary:
– CPI score increases since 2017: 5
– CPI scores unchanged since 2017: 0
– CPI score decreases since 2017: 5

18. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2017-2021
-30.00%
-20.00%
-10.00%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Eswatini Zambia Botswana Lesotho Namibia South Africa Mozambique Zimbabwe Malawi Angola
CPI 2021: Southern African countries % change in CPI scores 2017-2021

19. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2020-2021
• This chart shows the percentage change between 2020 CPI scores and
2021 CPI scores for 10 Southern African countries assessed in both the
2020 CPI and 2021 CPI
• Results summary:
– CPI score increases since 2012: 3
– CPI scores unchanged since 2012: 2 (Note: Nil unchanged percentage
scores are not displayed in the chart)
– CPI score decreases since 2012: 5

20. CPI 2021: Southern Africa 2020-2021
-10.00%
-5.00%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
Botswana Lesotho Zimbabwe Namibia Eswatini South Africa Zambia Mozambique Angola Malawi
CPI 2021: Southern African countries % change in CPI scores 2020-2021

21. CPI 2021: Africa 2012-2021
• This chart shows the percentage change between 2012 CPI scores and
2021 CPI scores for 53 African countries assessed in both the 2012 CPI
and 2021 CPI
• Results summary:
– CPI score increases since 2012: 23
– CPI scores unchanged since 2012: 3
– CPI score decreases since 2012: 27

22. CPI 2021: Africa 2012-2021
-40.00%
-20.00%
0.00%
20.00%
40.00%
60.00%
80.00%
Liberia
Comoros
Congo
Libya
Madagascar
Djibouti
Mozambique
Guinea
Bissau
Lesotho
Botswana
Equatorial
Guinea
Mali
Eswatini
Eritrea
Gabon
Nigeria
Zambia
Mauritania
Democratic
Republic
of
the
Congo
Central
African
Republic
Uganda
Niger
Malawi
Mauritius
Ghana
Cabo
Verde
Algeria
Rwanda
Togo
Burundi
Namibia
South
Africa
Egypt
Cameroon
Guinea
Chad
Morocco
Sao
Tome
and
Principe
Tunisia
Gambia
Sierra
Leone
Burkina
Faso
Kenya
Tanzania
Zimbabwe
Benin
Ethiopia
Senegal
Cote
d'Ivoire
Angola
Seychelles
Sudan
Somalia
Regional
average
CPI 2021: African countries % change in CPI scores 2012-2021

23. CPI 2021: Africa 2012-2017
• This chart shows the percentage change between 2012 CPI scores and
2017 CPI scores for 53 African countries assessed in both the 2012 CPI
and 2017 CPI
• Results summary:
– CPI score increases since 2012: 21
– CPI scores unchanged since 2012: 6
– CPI score decreases since 2012: 26

24. CPI 2021: Africa 2012-2017
-40.00%
-30.00%
-20.00%
-10.00%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
Guinea
Bissau
Madagascar
Liberia
Eritrea
Mozambique
Congo
Libya
Malawi
Equatorial
Guinea
Djibouti
Angola
Mauritius
Gambia
Central
African
Republic
Ghana
Uganda
Mauritania
Mali
Gabon
Cabo
Verde
Lesotho
Botswana
Cameroon
Comoros
Sierra
Leone
Algeria
Democratic
Republic
of
the
Congo
Egypt
Niger
Nigeria
South
Africa
Zambia
Tunisia
Tanzania
Kenya
Rwanda
Chad
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Namibia
Togo
Morocco
Benin
Sao
Tome
and
Principe
Zimbabwe
Burkina
Faso
Guinea
Somalia
Seychelles
Burundi
Sudan
Cote
d'Ivoire
Senegal
CPI 2021: African countries % change in CPI scores 2012-2017

25. CPI 2021: Africa 2017-2021
• This chart shows the percentage change between 2017 CPI scores and
2021 CPI scores for 54 African countries assessed in both the 2017 CPI
and 2021 CPI
• Results summary:
– CPI score increases since 2017: 25
– CPI scores unchanged since 2017: 8
– CPI score decreases since 2017: 21

26. CPI 2021: Africa 2017-2021
-30.00%
-20.00%
-10.00%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Comoros
Eswatini
Burundi
Nigeria
Zambia
Botswana
Lesotho
Democratic
Republic
of
the
Congo
South
Sudan
Guinea
Mali
Liberia
Togo
Niger
Senegal
Namibia
Rwanda
Djibouti
Gabon
Morocco
Sao
Tome
and
Principe
Algeria
Libya
Burkina
Faso
Cote
d'Ivoire
Mauritania
Congo
Chad
Equatorial
Guinea
South
Africa
Egypt
Uganda
Mozambique
Central
African
Republic
Zimbabwe
Tunisia
Cabo
Verde
Kenya
Ghana
Benin
Mauritius
Cameroon
Tanzania
Madagascar
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Malawi
Sierra
Leone
Seychelles
Gambia
Guinea
Bissau
Sudan
Somalia
Angola
CPI 2021: African countries % change in CPI scores 2017-2021

27. CPI 2021: Africa 2020-2021
• This chart shows the percentage change between 2020 CPI scores and
2021 CPI scores for 54 African countries assessed in both the 2020 CPI
and 2021 CPI
• Results summary:
– CPI score increases since 2020: 23
– CPI scores unchanged since 2020: 11
– CPI score decreases since 2020: 20

28. CPI 2021: Africa 2020-2021
-15.00%
-10.00%
-5.00%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
Guinea
Algeria
Botswana
South
Sudan
Central
African
Republic
Lesotho
Chad
Comoros
Senegal
Sao
Tome
and
Principe
Zimbabwe
Nigeria
Namibia
Mauritania
Mali
Kenya
Niger
Eswatini
Morocco
Rwanda
Tunisia
Egypt
Libya
Cabo
Verde
South
Africa
Ghana
Gambia
Cote
d'Ivoire
Zambia
Uganda
Burundi
Mauritius
Benin
Ethiopia
Tanzania
Sierra
Leone
Gabon
Togo
Liberia
Madagascar
Mozambique
Eritrea
Burkina
Faso
Democratic
Republic
of
the
Congo
Seychelles
Equatorial
Guinea
Angola
Cameroon
Somalia
Congo
Guinea
Bissau
Djibouti
Malawi
Sudan
CPI 2021: African countries % change in CPI scores 2020-2021

29. Conclusion
• At a regional level, Southern Africa’s performance in terms of rate of improvement
in country CPI scores was ranked third equal out of the five African regions during
2012-2021.
• At a country level, Southern Africa’s overall performance in terms of rate of
improvement in country CPI scores was disappointing during 2012-2021 with the
majority of countries recording lower CPI scores.

30. About us
• PFMConnect is a consultancy providing online support in the fields of
public finance and digital communication
• Follow our coverage of corruption and public financial management
(PFM) issues on our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/Improvingpublicfinancialmanagement
and on our blog http://blog-pfmconnect.com
• Contact us at team@pfmconnect.com for a pdf version of this video. Let
us know if you have any questions.