Dare Babalola
Nigeria has been ranked among the world’s 36 most corrupt countries by Transparency International (TI) in its 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released Tuesday.
Nigeria was ranked 142nd out of 182 countries, dropping from 140th in 2024, with 1 indicating the least corrupt and 182 the most corrupt.
Despite sliding in the overall global ranking, Nigeria retained the same 36th most corrupt label it held in the previous index.
Nigeria scored 26 points out of 100, a score shared with Cameroon, Guatemala, Guinea, Kyrgyzstan and Papua New Guinea in the latest assessment, highlighting persistent governance challenges.
The CPI evaluates perceived levels of public‑sector corruption across 182 countries and territories using expert and business assessments, with scores ranging from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
The index further showed that Denmark topped the list as the least corrupt, scoring 89 points, Finland followed with 88, Singapore with 84, and New Zealand with 81.
No African country made the top 10 in the global ranking, reflecting ongoing governance gaps across the continent.
Among African nations, Seychelles (68), Cabo Verde (62) and Botswana (58) were cited as the least corrupt on the continent.
Taking the bottom spot were South Sudan, Somalia and Venezuela, which were named the most corrupt countries in the world for 2025.
Reacting to the development, Paul Banoba, regional advisor for Africa at TI, said public sector corruption always hits the most vulnerable people hardest.
“African governments need to urgently translate anti-corruption commitments into decisive action by further strengthening accountability institutions and increasing transparency, protecting civic space and supporting the public,” Banoba said.
