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News release

Majority of Namibians say corruption is rising and citizens risk retaliation if they speak out, new Afrobarometer study shows

3 Jul 2024 Namibia
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News release
Key findings
  • About two-thirds (65%) of Namibians say corruption in the country increased “somewhat” or “a lot” during the year preceding the survey, a 13-percentage-point drop since 2017 (Figure 1). o Perceptions of increasing corruption rise dramatically with citizens’ experience of lived poverty, ranging from 56% among respondents experiencing no or low lived poverty to 72%-73% among those experiencing moderate or high lived poverty (Figure 2).
  • Since 2017, more than six in 10 Namibians consistently report that ordinary people risk retaliation or other negative consequences if they report corruption (Figure 3).
  • Namibians overwhelmingly think that at least “some” members and representatives of central, regional, and local government as well as state offices, civil society, and business are involved in corruption (Figure 4).
  • About three-quarters (76%) of citizens say the government is doing a bad job of fighting corruption in government, the highest level of disapproval recorded in two decades of Afrobarometer surveys (Figure 5).

Two-thirds of Namibians say corruption in the country is getting worse, although this share has  decreased significantly in recent years, a new Afrobarometer survey indicates. 

Large majorities believe that at least “some” representatives and officials in government, civil  society, and business are involved in corruption. Most citizens say the government is doing a  poor job of fighting graft and that ordinary people risk retaliation if they speak out.