1 out of every 4 Ghanaians pay bribe to public officials – Survey
The first ever comprehensive and nationally representative population survey on corruption in Ghana Indicates that, one out of every four Ghanaians pay bribes to a public official.
The survey conducted by the country’s statistical agency, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), pegs the prevalence of bribery in Ghana at 26.7%.
Implying that, 26.7% of the population has paid bribe or been asked to pay bribe by a public official in the last 12 months – the period the survey covers.
On average, the survey asserts that, there is no difference in the prevalence of bribery in both the rural and urban areas of the country.
It however notes that, there are sizeable variations across the 16 regions of the country.
The prevalence of bribery in the Bono East, Savannah and Volta regions, for example, is substantially lower than the national rate, at 11.8, 14.5 and 19.1 per cent, respectively, while in the Western North, Ahafo and North East regions it is substantially higher, at 53.4, 47.0 and 41.9 per cent, respectively
The prevalence of bribery in Ghana also varies across age groups. Younger adults are more likely to pay bribes than the older population. In 2021, with a prevalence of bribery of 29.9 per cent, Ghanaians aged 25–34 were the age group most likely to pay bribes.
The prevalence of bribery decreases steadily to 17.6 per cent among those aged 65 and over, while bribery among the youngest adult age group (18–24) has a prevalence of 23.9 per cent.
“It may also be common for corrupt public officials to target wealthier socioeconomic groups to a greater degree than poorer socioeconomic groups, as the former may be considered more likely to have the means to pay bribes.
“Indeed, the survey shows that the group most likely to interact with public officials and most likely to experience bribe requests is that with the highest level of educational attainment (bachelor’s degree or above). That means that Ghanaians with the highest level of (tertiary) education are 1.7 times more likely than people with no formal education to report that they paid a bribe, or were asked to pay a bribe but refused when in contact with a public official,” states the report.
According to the UNODC, the main objective was to collect evidence-based information on forms of corruption affecting the population of Ghana in order to determine the prevalence of corruption and its prevailing typologies.
The results of the survey will provide benchmark indicators that can be used to inform relevant policies and track future progress while ensuring international comparability with surveys of a similar nature carried out in other countries.
The survey findings will also strengthen the capacity of national institutions to make corruption monitoring a regular activity in the country.
