Nigeria ranked 142nd out of 182 countries in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), according to Transparency International, underscoring continued concerns about governance and accountability in the country.
The CPI, which measures perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), assigned Nigeria a score of 26 — unchanged from 2024. Despite the steady score, the country slipped two places from its previous 140th position, reflecting relative declines as other countries made progress, reports BusinessDay.
Nigeria’s performance remains significantly below the global average score of 42, which itself fell slightly from 43, with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50. The ranking also places Nigeria behind 33 other African nations.
Within Africa, Seychelles led the continent with 68 points, followed by Cabo Verde (62), Botswana (58), and Rwanda (58). Other countries that ranked ahead of Nigeria include Mauritius, Namibia, Senegal, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, and Egypt.
Transparency International noted that countries near the bottom of the index often struggle with weak institutions, limited accountability, and poor enforcement of anti-corruption laws — structural challenges that continue to weigh on governance outcomes.
Globally, Denmark topped the index as the least corrupt country, followed by Finland, Singapore, and New Zealand, highlighting the significant gap between countries with strong institutional frameworks and those grappling with entrenched corruption.
The CPI remains one of the world’s most widely referenced benchmarks for assessing transparency, public trust, and investor confidence.
About the Author
