Botswana has been named the least corrupt nation in Africa, ranking at position 35 in the global Corruption Perceptions Index 2016 released by Transparency International. Cape Verde was ranked second lest corrupt nation in Africa after Botswana, standing at position 38 worldwide.
Mauritius and Rwanda come third in the continent, tying at position 50 worldwide.
African nations performed poorly in the index; with most falling out of the top 100 least corrupt nations.
According to Transparency International, the global average score is a paltry 43, indicating endemic corruption in a country’s public sector.
The agency also noted that the 2016 results highlight the connection between corruption and inequality, which feed off each other to create a vicious circle between corruption, the unequal distribution of power in society, and unequal distribution of wealth.
According to the index, Somalia is the most corrupt nation worldwide, followed closely by South Sudan and North Korea.
Transparency International noted that the lower-ranked countries in the index are plagued by untrustworthy and badly functioning public institutions like the police and judiciary. Even where anti-corruption laws are on the books, in practice they’re often skirted over or ignored.
Meanwhile, in this latest ranking, the Middle East had the highest corruption incidence.
