Nigeria has been ranked the 36th most corrupt country in the world in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International (TI).
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According to the global anti-corruption watchdog, Nigeria dropped from 140th position in 2024 to 142nd out of 182 countries assessed in 2025, where number 1 represents the cleanest country and 182 the most corrupt.
Despite the decline in its overall ranking, Nigeria retained its position as the 36th most corrupt country globally, the same position it occupied in the previous year.
Nigeria scored 26 points on the index and shared the ranking with Cameroon, Guatemala, Guinea, Kyrgyzstan and Papua New Guinea, all of which recorded the same score.
The ranking, published on Transparency International’s official website on Tuesday, assessed perceived levels of public-sector corruption across countries and territories worldwide.
At the top of the table, Denmark retained its position as the least corrupt country in the world, scoring 89 points, followed closely by Finland (88 points), Singapore (84 points), and New Zealand (81 points).
No African country made the top 10 cleanest nations globally, as the list was dominated largely by European countries.
Within Africa, Seychelles, Cabo Verde, and Botswana emerged as the least corrupt countries on the continent, with scores of 68, 62, and 58 points, respectively.
At the bottom of the index, South Sudan and Somalia were ranked joint second-most corrupt countries, while Venezuela emerged as the most corrupt country globally for the year under review.
Explaining the basis of the ranking, the Chief Executive Officer of Transparency International, Maíra Martini, said the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index ranks 182 countries and territories by perceived levels of public-sector corruption.
“The results are given on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean),” Martini said.
She noted that while some progress has been recorded globally, many countries continue to struggle.
“While 31 countries have significantly reduced their corruption levels since 2012, the rest are failing to tackle the problem, they have stayed stagnant or got worse during the same period,” she said.
According to her, the global average score has dropped further.
“The global average has fallen to a new low of 42, while more than two-thirds of countries score below 50. And people are paying the price, as corruption leads to under-funded hospitals, unbuilt flood defences, and blights the hopes and dreams of young people.”
Martini warned that corruption remains a major global threat, citing weak political will and shrinking civic space.
“We’re seeing a concerning picture of long-term decline in leadership to tackle corruption. Even established democracies, like the US, UK and New Zealand, are experiencing a drop in performance,” she said.
She added that poor leadership is undermining anti-corruption efforts worldwide.
“The absence of bold leadership is leading to weaker standards and enforcement, lowering ambition on anti-corruption efforts around the world.”
Martini also raised concerns about growing restrictions on civil society and press freedom.
“By making it hard or dangerous for citizens, NGOs and journalists to challenge abuses of power, governments are reducing transparency and accountability. This allows corruption to flourish,” she stated.
Calling for urgent action, she urged world leaders to reverse the trend.
“Leaders must act to tackle abuses of power and the wider factors driving this decline, such as the roll-back of democratic checks and balances, and attacks on independent civil society,” she said.
She added that growing public anger is evident across many countries.
“Anti-government protests in many parts of the world show that people are fed up with unaccountable leadership and are demanding reform.”
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