Malawi has remained at position 109 out of 182 countries on the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), according to a new report released by Transparency International.
The CPI measures how corrupt a country's public sector is seen to be, using a scale from 0 to 100. A score of 0 means a country is very corrupt, while 100 means it is very clean.
In the 2025 report, Malawi scored 34 points, the same score it has had for the past three years. This is below the global average of about 42, showing that Malawi is still struggling with corruption.
In simple terms, this result means Malawi is not improving in its fight against corruption. The country is stuck at the same level, and people still see corruption as a serious problem in government.
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Although government has strengthened the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and created an Economic and Financial Crimes Court, the report says big corruption cases and weak enforcement are slowing down real progress.
Looking at past records, Malawi's corruption score has stayed in the low 30s since 2014. The best years were 2012 and 2013, when the country scored 37 points, but those gains did not last.
The worst year was 2020, when Malawi scored only 30 points. There was a small improvement in 2021, but since then, the score has remained flat.
Governance expert Benedicto Kondowe said the unchanged score shows deep institutional problems.
He said Malawi has good laws and institutions on paper, but they are not enforced properly, especially when powerful or politically connected people are involved.
"In real life, this means corruption is still part of everyday life for many Malawians," said Kondowe.
"Bribes, unfair government contracts and misuse of public money continue to affect basic services like health, education and justice."
Civil society analyst Willy Kambwandira said the results are not surprising because they match what citizens go through daily.
He said corruption is not just numbers in a report, but something people face in public offices, hospitals, police stations and courts.
According to him, real change will only come when people who steal public money are punished quickly and openly, without protection.
Economist Greenwell Matchaya warned that as Malawi prepares for major events like the State of the Nation Address and the national budget, corruption must be treated as a top priority.
He said without strong reforms, protection for oversight institutions and active citizens, Malawi will remain stuck.
"Corruption will continue to block development, weaken service delivery and destroy public trust in government," Matchaya said.
The report sends a clear message that Malawi is not winning the corruption fight. The systems exist, but they are not working effectively. Until powerful people are held accountable and corruption is punished consistently, the country will remain trapped in the same cycle, with ordinary citizens paying the price.
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