Corruption Perceptions Index 2024

• The CPI uses 9 different sources to measure perceptions of public sector corruption in Zambia, so that it provides a comprehensive result that provides more balance than any one single source. It is based on surveys of businesspeople and experts. 
• In 2024, Zambia’s CPI score has increased from 37 to 39, ranking 92nd globally in terms of transparency. This is the second time that the CPI score for Zambia has increased within the past decade, after increasing by 4 points in 2023. 
• Out of the 9 data sources, only one (the World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey) indicated a significant change, while the rest of the changes were not significant. 
• This index measures bribery in business operations. The establishment of the E-GP (Electronic Government Procurement) and enhanced Beneficial Ownership requirements were key in pushing this indicator up.  
• However, the fact that only one of the datasets changed, and that it was not included in the calculations for the 2023 CPI, suggests that the improvement concerned a specific sub-sector, and might be ascribed to earlier events. 
  • Zambia still ranks 92nd worldwide in the CPI: 91 countries perform better than Zambia.  
  • Zambia’s CPI score, at 39 out of 100, still falls below the global average of 43. 
  • Neighboring countries outperform Zambia, although we are catching up. 
  • Compared to last year’s 4-point increase, this year’s 2-point increase represents a declining trend in terms of the CPI score improvement. 

  More needs to be done! In the slides to the right, we look also at some of the recommendations that can help us further sustain our positive performance in the fight against corruption. 

The 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows that most countries are failing to stop corruption.  

• Over two thirds of our world has scored below 50, the global average being 43.  
• The most corrupt countries are affected by violence, instability, or authoritarian regimes that steal money away from the population, while the least corrupt countries tend to be stable democracies with strong institutions and regulations.  
• Even here, at the top of the list, many countries are struggling to maintain their levels of transparency. For example, since 2019, Austria’s CPI score declined by 10 points. 
• Only 32 countries out of 180 have managed to improve their performance significantly in the mid/long-term.  
• Among these, we find Bahrain, Ivory Coast and Moldova, which have respectively improved their CPI score by 17, 13 and 11 points throughout the last decade. 
• The majority of countries globally (101, equal to 56%) are stagnant in the CPI, failing to register a significant improvement in the fight against corruption. 
• The 2024 CPI report sheds light on the correlations between corruption and the climate crisis, highlighting the ways in which corruption contributes to undue influence on climate policies and decision making, embezzlement and misuse of climate funds, weak environmental protection, and threats to activists. 
• Looking at the number of environmental activists who have been murdered from 2019 to today, 1,007 out of 1,013 of these murders occurred in countries with a CPI score below 50/100 (indicating higher corruption levels)! 

Africa has made no significant gain in the fight against corruption. The correlations between corruption, inequalities, economic underdevelopment, and war, are widely visible across the continent.  

• Africa’s regional CPI average is the lowest in the world, 32.  
• Only 5 countries have significantly improved their performance in the last decade: Seychelles, Benin, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Angola. In most African countries, transparency and accountability have been either stagnating or declining.  
• Africa is sadly represented at the bottom of the list, with 6 out of the bottom 10 countries being in Africa: South Sudan (8/100), Somalia (9), Libya, Eritrea and Equatorial Guinea (13), Sudan (15).  
• Southern Africa, while performing comparatively better than other African regions, is struggling to significantly improve its score. In the past 5 years, the score of all these countries has been either stagnating or declining.  
• In the last two years, Zambia’s CPI score has improved (39/100 in 2024). The country now ranks above the Africa average (32/100).
• Some positive stories emerge: Seychelles (72/100), Cabo Verde (62), Botswana and Rwanda (57) are the highest scorers in the continent.