South Africa has been ranked 55th out of 180 countries in a corruption perceptions index released on Tuesday by Transparency International.

South Africa scored 4.7 out of ten on the index. The highest scorer ? and least corrupt country ? was New Zealand at 9.4.

Denmark came in second at 9.3, while Singapore and Sweden tied for third place at 9.2 and Switzerland was fourth at 9.0.

In a section on Sub-Saharan Africa, the index found that of the 47 countries reviewed in the region, 31 scored less than three out of 10, indicating that corruption was perceived as rampant, while 13 scored between three and five, indicating that corruption was perceived as a serious challenge by country experts and businessmen.

In 2008, only three countries in the region scored more than five: Botswana, Mauritius and Cape Verde, Transparency International said.

While some countries appeared to improve their scores or ranking in comparison with others, in Sub-Saharan Africa, these changes did not reflect substantial and sustainable improvements in local accountability, the organisation said.

The overall picture remained one of serious corruption challenges across the region.

"As in previous years, the corruption perceptions index results show that corruption has a particularly stark and devastating effect on countries that face ongoing political instability and high levels of poverty.

Who's at the bottom?

"Somalia, once again, is at the bottom of the ranking with a score of 1.0 as continued conflict and corruption prevent it from embarking on reforms to overcome economic and political collapse," Transparency International said.

Others scoring 2.0 or less included resource-rich countries such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Chad and Sudan.

"Despite their potential for generating huge revenues that could increase social development, these countries have not been able to translate their wealth into sustainable poverty-reduction programmes.

"Instead, high levels of corruption in the extractive industries consistently contribute to economic stagnation, inequality and conflict."

Transparency International said countries that scored 3.0 or above and were perceived as relatively less corrupt, still faced enormous challenges in the fight against corruption.

"While legal frameworks have been increasingly strengthened across the sub-region, their enforcement remains inconsistent."

The organisation said that in Liberia, the post-conflict government had received international recognition for its efforts to stamp out corruption.

However, recent scandals affecting government procurement and financial management, and the perception that too many government officials were political appointees, continued to undermine transparency, accountability and public trust in the political leadership.

"High-profile anti-corruption cases and scandals continue to be regularly reported in countries including South Africa, Ghana and Senegal and risk undermining political stability as well as the governments? capacity to provide effective basic services in sectors such as education, health and water.

"In such a context, corruption levels can mean the difference between life and death," Transparency International said.

Zimbabwe gets a mention

According to the index, in Kenya, Guinea, Zimbabwe and Niger political leaders had failed to address the vicious cycle that linked corruption to poverty.

Local anti-corruption activists and whistleblowers courageous enough to publicly expose weaknesses in accountability systems were increasingly at risk as government crackdowns limited democratic opposition and stifled civil society?s ability to express the voice of the people, the organisation said added.

"Individual cases, such as reports of massive corruption within the Harare City Council in Zimbabwe, are proof that only the introduction of clear and robust accountability systems with independent oversight, risk-management and full disclosure of the use of public funds, can help build systems of accountability that can reduce perceptions of public sector corruption."

Transparency International said that in Niger, the president?s decision to seize emergency powers and to dissolve both parliament and the constitutional court after it ruled that a referendum to allow him to seek a third consecutive term was unconstitutional, had been a blatant disregard by the political leadership of the integrity of Niger?s public institutions.

"With government efforts to tackle corruption seen as ineffective across the region, it is clear that there must be renewed commitments to implement anti-corruption reforms and legislation and to introduce preventative measures, including education programmes.

"This will help to restore public trust and contribute to a reduction in the levels of corruption throughout the region," Transparency International said.