Nigeria Drops to 142nd Spot on Global Corruption Index — Transparency International
Nigeria has once again been ranked among the world’s most corrupt countries, following the release of Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) on Tuesday.
In the latest report, Nigeria placed 142nd out of 182 countries, falling from its 140th position in 2024. The ranking scale places the cleanest country at number one and the most corrupt at the bottom.
Despite the drop, Nigeria maintained its position as the 36th most corrupt country globally, the same status it held in the previous year’s index.
The country scored 26 out of 100 points, tying with Cameroon, Guatemala, Guinea, Kyrgyzstan and Papua New Guinea a result that underscores persistent challenges in governance and public-sector accountability.
Transparency International’s CPI measures perceived levels of public-sector corruption based on assessments from experts and business leaders. Scores range from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Globally, Denmark emerged as the least corrupt country with a score of 89, followed by Finland (88), Singapore (84) and New Zealand (81). No African country made the global top 10.
Within Africa, Seychelles (68), Cabo Verde (62) and Botswana (58) ranked as the least corrupt, while South Sudan, Somalia and Venezuela occupied the bottom of the global table as the most corrupt countries in 2025.
According to The Cable, Nigeria’s strongest performance in the last decade was recorded in 2016, when it ranked 136th with a score of 28.
Reacting to the findings, Paul Banoba, Transparency International’s regional adviser for Africa, said corruption in the public sector disproportionately affects the most vulnerable.
He urged African governments to move beyond promises by strengthening accountability institutions, improving transparency, protecting civic space and actively supporting citizens.
The ranking comes amid lingering controversy, following the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) naming President Bola Tinubu a finalist for its ‘Corrupt Person of the Year’ award in 2024.
