Global CPI map using scale of 1-10. Click to enlarge. {Transparency International}

Allowing corruption to continue is unacceptable; too many poor and vulnerable people continue to suffer its consequences around the world. We need to see more enforcement of existing rules and laws. There should be nowhere to hide for the corrupt or their money.” – Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International

Last week, Transparency International (“the global coalition against corruption”), released its annual report outlining the perceived levels of corruption in 178 countries. African results rely upon anywhere from 3 to 8 surveys initiated by organizations like the African Development Bank, World Bank, and World Economic Forum.

In the vein of the Internet, we may speculate that corrupt governments are less likely foster high levels of Internet penetration. Offhand, untrustworthy regimes seem to oppose privatization of the telecommunication industry and open collaboration among all levels for a national ICT policy – two actions that support Internet penetration. In general, the common lack of transparency that comes with corrupt leadership mars economic growth. Additionally, foreign investors ostensibly do not want to work with questionable governments. So, are any trends apparent after plotting recent Internet penetration data on the same chart as the Corruption Perceptions Index? Loosely, yes, although there are numerous exceptions:

• 4 of the 9 least corrupt African countries rank among the top 9 in terms of Internet penetration
• Of the 9 nations (top 19%) with the highest Internet penetration, 8 rank in the top 22 (top 42%)
• Botswana, determined to be the least perceived-corrupt African nation, lies in the middle in terms of Internet penetration
• Nigeria, although ranking 4th in terms of Internet penetration, ranks near the bottom third for African CPI
• Kenya and Sudan lag much of Africa in terms of perceived corruption despite showing substantially better-than-average Internet penetration

2-axis graph of Internet penetration and CPI by African nation, 2010. Click to enlarge.

By the way, only Gambia showed a noticeable (-0.3 pt) year-over-year decrease in perceived corruption among African nations.

Data from Internet World Stats and Transparency International: