Share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable in South Africa

South Africa: Share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable was 33.5% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
33.5%
World rank
38th
of 38 countries
All-time high
73.7%
in 1993
All-time low
33.5%
in 2014
Years of data
6
1984–2014

Share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable in South Africa, 1984–2014

0204060801984199920141984: 62.8 %1993: 73.7 %1998: 68.5 %2004: 60.6 %2010: 57 %2014: 33.5 %

Source: Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable in South Africa is 33.5%, measured in 2014. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.

That represents a change of down 44.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable in South Africa peaked at 73.7% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 33.5%, in 2014.

South Africa ranks 38th of 38 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable in South Africa, 1984 to 2014.
Year % Change
1984 62.8%
1993 73.7% +17.4%
1998 68.5% -7.0%
2004 60.6% -11.6%
2010 57.0% -5.8%
2014 33.5% -41.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 62.8% 62.8% 62.8% 1
1990s 71.1% 68.5% 73.7% 2
2000s 60.6% 60.6% 60.6% 1
2010s 45.3% 33.5% 57.0% 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 35 Czechia 52.1% compare
  2. 36 Slovakia 43.3% compare
  3. 37 Republic of Korea 42.1% compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable in South Africa?
Share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable in South Africa was 33.5% in 2014, according to Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 73.7% in 1993.
What is the lowest share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 33.5% in 2014.
How does South Africa rank for share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable?
South Africa ranks 38th out of 38 countries with data for 2014.
Is share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 44.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-people-who-say-accepting-a-bribe-is-never-justifiable/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of people who say accepting a bribe is never justifiable
Unit
%
Source
Integrated Values Surveys (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
38 places, 219 data points, 1984–2022
Last refreshed

% of respondents replying 1 in a scale from 1 to 10 when asked "Please tell me for each of the following statements whether you think it can always be justified, never be justified, or something in between, using this card", when the statement was "Accepting a bribe in the course of their duties". In the scale, 1 means "never justifiable" and 10 means "always justifiable".