Nigeria Slips In Global Corruption Ranking, Now 36th Most Corrupt Country In The World
Nigeria has again been ranked among the world’s most corrupt countries, placing 36th on the global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International, a global anti-graft coalition monitoring corruption trends worldwide.
According to the 2025 CPI report, Nigeria was ranked 142nd out of 182 countries, with a score of 26 out of 100, where 0 indicates highly corrupt and 100 means very clean in terms of public sector integrity.
Despite sliding two places from its 140th position in 2024, the West African nation retained its status as the 36th most corrupt globally alongside other low-scoring countries.
How the ranking works
The Corruption Perceptions Index assesses perceived levels of public-sector corruption across 182 countries and territories, based on expert assessments and surveys of businesspeople. It aggregates data from multiple sources to produce a standardised score that reflects how corrupt each country’s public institutions are viewed to be.
Nigeria’s standing and score
Nigeria’s score of 26 this year underscores persistent concerns about governance, transparency and accountability in its public sector. Although the country’s rank dropped slightly from 140th in 2024 to 142nd in 2025, its position on the list of the most corrupt nations remained unchanged at 36th—meaning 35 countries are perceived to be more corrupt.
Other countries with similar low CPI scores globally include several conflict-affected and economically challenged nations, which also struggle with weak institutions and enforcement mechanisms.
Global and regional context
In the 2025 index, Denmark maintained its position as the least corrupt country, topping the ranking with a score of 89, followed closely by Finland (88), Singapore (84) and New Zealand (81).
No African nation made the global top ten least corrupt list, which continues to be dominated by European and Asia-Pacific countries with strong governance systems.
Within Africa, countries such as Seychelles, Cabo Verde and Botswana consistently outperform the regional average, scoring significantly higher CPI points than Nigeria.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, South Sudan, Somalia and Venezuela were identified among the most corrupt countries in the world, scoring in the lowest tier of the index.
Corruption challenges in Nigeria
Experts say corruption remains deeply entrenched in Nigeria, affecting key sectors of governance and public service delivery. This includes bribery, patronage, embezzlement and weak enforcement of laws, all of which undermine investor confidence and economic development.
Analysts also point to the broader regional trend: many Sub-Saharan African countries score below the global average on anti-corruption measures, reflecting structural governance challenges that span multiple states.
Transparency International’s 2025 CPI highlights that over two-thirds of countries scored below 50 on the corruption scale, signalling that corruption is widespread and worsening in many parts of the world, including Nigeria.
The global coalition has urged governments, civil society organisations and citizens to strengthen democratic checks and balances, protect civic space and implement robust anti-corruption policies to reverse the decline in integrity and accountability.
Nigeria’s repeated low ranking underscores the need for renewed political will, stronger enforcement of anti-graft laws and systemic reforms to promote transparency, accountability and good governance.
Full list below;
Score | Country | Rank
89 — Denmark — 1
88 — Finland — 2
84 — Singapore — 3
81 — New Zealand — 4
81 — Norway — 4
80 — Sweden — 6
80 — Switzerland — 6
78 — Luxembourg — 8
78 — Netherlands — 8
77 — Germany — 10
77 — Iceland — 10
76 — Australia — 12
76 — Estonia — 12
76 — Hong Kong — 12
76 — Ireland — 12
75 — Canada — 16
73 — Uruguay — 17
71 — Bhutan — 18
71 — Japan — 18
70 — United Kingdom — 20
69 — Austria — 21
69 — Belgium — 21
69 — United Arab Emirates — 21
68 — Barbados — 24
68 — Seychelles — 24
68 — Taiwan — 24
66 — France — 27
65 — Lithuania — 28
64 — Bahamas — 29
64 — United States of America — 29
63 — Brunei Darussalam — 31
63 — Chile — 31
63 — Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — 31
63 — South Korea — 31
62 — Cabo Verde — 35
62 — Israel — 35
60 — Dominica — 37
60 — Latvia — 37
59 — Czechia — 39
59 — Saint Lucia — 39
58 — Botswana — 41
58 — Qatar — 41
58 — Rwanda — 41
58 — Slovenia — 41
57 — Saudi Arabia — 45
56 — Costa Rica — 46
56 — Grenada — 46
56 — Portugal — 46
55 — Cyprus — 49
55 — Fiji — 49
55 — Spain — 49
53 — Italy — 52
53 — Poland — 52
52 — Malaysia — 54
52 — Oman — 54
50 — Bahrain — 56
50 — Georgia — 56
50 — Greece — 56
50 — Jordan — 56
49 — Malta — 60
48 — Mauritius — 61
48 — Slovakia — 61
47 — Croatia — 63
47 — Vanuatu — 63
46 — Armenia — 65
46 — Kuwait — 65
46 — Montenegro — 65
46 — Namibia — 65
46 — Senegal — 65
45 — Benin — 70
45 — Romania — 70
45 — Sao Tome and Principe — 70
44 — Jamaica — 73
44 — Solomon Islands — 73
44 — Timor-Leste — 73
43 — China — 76
43 — Côte d’Ivoire — 76
43 — Ghana — 76
43 — Kosovo — 76
42 — Moldova — 80
41 — South Africa — 81
41 — Trinidad and Tobago — 81
41 — Vietnam — 81
40 — Bulgaria — 84
40 — Burkina Faso — 84
40 — Cuba — 84
40 — Guyana — 84
40 — Hungary — 84
40 — North Macedonia — 84
40 — Tanzania — 84
39 — Albania — 91
39 — India — 91
39 — Maldives — 91
39 — Morocco — 91
39 — Tunisia — 91
38 — Ethiopia — 96
38 — Kazakhstan — 96
38 — Suriname — 96
37 — Colombia — 99
37 — Dominican Republic — 99
37 — Gambia — 99
37 — Lesotho — 99
37 — Zambia — 99
36 — Argentina — 104
36 — Belize — 104
36 — Ukraine — 104
35 — Brazil — 10735 — Sri Lanka — 107
34 — Algeria — 109
34 — Bosnia and Herzegovina — 109
34 — Indonesia — 109
34 — Laos — 109
34 — Malawi — 109
34 — Nepal — 109
34 — Sierra Leone — 109
33 — Ecuador — 116
33 — Panama — 116
33 — Serbia — 116
33 — Thailand — 116
32 — Angola — 120
32 — El Salvador — 120
32 — Philippines — 120
32 — Togo — 120
31 — Belarus — 124
31 — Djibouti — 124
31 — Mongolia — 124
31 — Niger — 124
31 — Turkey — 124
31 — Uzbekistan — 124
30 — Azerbaijan — 130
30 — Egypt — 130
30 — Kenya — 130
30 — Mauritania — 130
30 — Peru — 130
29 — Gabon — 135
28 — Bolivia — 136
28 — Iraq — 136
28 — Liberia — 136
28 — Mali — 136
28 — Pakistan — 136
27 — Mexico — 141
26 — Cameroon — 142
26 — Guatemala — 142
26 — Guinea — 142
26 — Kyrgyzstan — 142
26 — Nigeria — 142
26 — Papua New Guinea — 142
25 — Madagascar — 148
25 — Uganda — 148
24 — Bangladesh — 150
24 — Central African Republic — 150
24 — Paraguay — 150
23 — Congo — 153
23 — Eswatini — 153
23 — Iran — 153
23 — Lebanon — 153
22 — Chad — 157
22 — Honduras — 157
22 — Russia — 157
22 — Zimbabwe — 157
21 — Guinea-Bissau — 161
21 — Mozambique — 161
20 — Cambodia — 163
20 — Comoros — 163
20 — Democratic Republic of the Congo — 163
19 — Tajikistan — 166
17 — Burundi — 167
17 — Turkmenistan — 167
16 — Afghanistan — 169
16 — Haiti — 169
16 — Myanmar — 169
15 — Equatorial Guinea — 172
15 — North Korea — 172
15 — Syria — 172
14 — Nicaragua — 175
14 — Sudan — 175
13 — Eritrea — 177
13 — Libya — 177
13 — Yemen — 177
10 — Venezuela — 180
9 — Somalia — 181
9 — South Sudan — 181
