Botswana has again been rated among the world’s least corrupt countries, according to Berlin-based Transparency International in its 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). In the survey, Botswana was listed among the top 20 per cent of countries considered to be least corrupt and was also ranked as the least corrupt middle income country in the world as well as the least corrupt country in Africa.

The Transparency International index defines corruption as the abuse of public office for private gain, and measures the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among a country's public officials and politicians. It is a composite index, drawing on 16 surveys from 10 independent institutions, which gathered the opinions of business people and country analysts.

This year’s overall score for Botswana (5.9) and global ranking (32) remain the same as in 2004 and places it above nine European Union countries included in the survey.

November 2005