Malawi vs South Africa: Executive Corruption Index

Malawi
0.604
in 2025
South Africa
0.59
in 2025
Malawi rank
71st
South Africa rank
73rd

Executive Corruption Index over time

  • Malawi
  • South Africa
00.20.40.60.8190019622025

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 0.604 against 0.59 in South Africa, a difference of 0.014.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was South Africa ahead.

Malawi ranks 71st and South Africa ranks 73rd of 176 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 9.

Head to head by decade

Decade Malawi South Africa Difference Ahead
1900s 0.22 0.446 0.226 South Africa
1910s 0.22 0.446 0.226 South Africa
1920s 0.22 0.446 0.226 South Africa
1930s 0.22 0.446 0.226 South Africa
1940s 0.22 0.446 0.226 South Africa
1950s 0.22 0.446 0.226 South Africa
1960s 0.1723 0.446 0.2737 South Africa
1970s 0.1624 0.4425 0.2801 South Africa
1980s 0.163 0.441 0.278 South Africa
1990s 0.5261 0.4631 0.063 Malawi
2000s 0.7603 0.5176 0.2427 Malawi
2010s 0.7725 0.6341 0.1384 Malawi
2020s 0.5995 0.5662 0.0333 Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher executive corruption index, Malawi or South Africa?
Malawi, at 0.604 against 0.59 in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in executive corruption index between Malawi and South Africa?
0.014, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?
126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for executive corruption index?
Malawi ranks 71st and South Africa ranks 73rd of 176 countries.
Where does this data come from?
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Executive Corruption Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Executive Corruption Index
Source
V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 25,488 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which high-ranking members of the executive, such as the head of government or cabinet ministers, engage in bribery and theft. The index ranges from 0 to 1 (highly corrupt).