Nigeria has been ranked 142nd out of 182 countries in Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), scoring just 26 points on a scale of 0 to 100, where zero represents extreme corruption and 100 indicates a very clean public sector.
The ranking, released on Tuesday, places Nigeria among the world’s lowest-performing countries and highlights the continued challenge of tackling corruption despite years of reforms and public commitments by successive administrations.
Globally, Denmark retained its position as the least corrupt country with 89 points, followed by Finland (88), Singapore (84), and joint fourth-place finishers New Zealand and Norway (81).
Sweden and Switzerland ranked sixth with 80 points each, while Luxembourg and the Netherlands shared eighth place with 78 points. Germany and Iceland completed the top 10 with 77 points apiece.
No African country made the global top 10.
On the continent, Seychelles emerged as Africa’s cleanest country with 68 points, followed by Cabo Verde (62) and Botswana (58). Rwanda and Slovenia also scored 58, while Mauritius recorded 48 points.
At the bottom of the global table were South Sudan and Somalia, which tied for last place with nine points each, while Venezuela ranked 180th with 10 points.
Other African countries posted mixed results. Ghana scored 43 points to rank 76th, South Africa placed 81st with 41 points, Senegal ranked 65th with 46 points, Côte d’Ivoire stood at 76th with 43 points, while Kenya scored 30 points to place 130th.
Cameroon ranked 142nd alongside Nigeria with 26 points, Uganda placed 148th with 25 points, and Zimbabwe ranked 157th with 22 points.
Explaining the findings, Transparency International Chief Executive Officer, Maíra Martini, said the index evaluates perceived levels of public-sector corruption across 182 countries and territories.
“The results are given on a scale of zero, highly corrupt, to 100, very clean,” Martini said.
She noted that while 31 countries have significantly reduced corruption since 2012, most nations — including Nigeria — have either stagnated or deteriorated over the same period.
According to Martini, the global average has dropped to a record low of 42, with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50.
“People are paying the price, as corruption leads to under-funded hospitals, unbuilt flood defences and blights the hopes and dreams of young people,” she said.
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She warned that corruption remains a serious global threat, adding that even established democracies such as the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand recorded declines in performance.
Martini also expressed concern over shrinking civic space in many countries, saying restrictions on journalists, civil society organisations and citizens weaken transparency and accountability.
“This allows corruption to flourish,” she stated, urging political leaders worldwide to confront abuses of power and restore democratic checks and balances.
She added that growing anti-government protests across several regions show that citizens are increasingly frustrated with unaccountable leadership and are demanding reforms.
For Nigeria, the latest ranking reinforces long-standing concerns over governance, accountability and public-sector integrity, as the country continues to grapple with corruption-related challenges that impact service delivery, economic growth and public trust.