Corruption Index: Nigeria retains 36th most corrupt position worldwide (FULL LIST)

Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index has again placed Nigeria among the world’s most corrupt countries, deepening concerns over governance and accountability despite years of anti-corruption rhetoric.

Transparency International (TI), a global anti-corruption coalition, has ranked Nigeria as the 36th most corrupt country in the world in its 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). Nigeria dropped from 140th position in 2024 to 142nd out of 182 countries in 2025, where first place represents the cleanest country and 182 the most corrupt. Despite the slide, the country retained its status as the 36th most corrupt nation globally, sharing the position with Cameroon, Guatemala, Guinea, Kyrgyzstan and Papua New Guinea, all of which scored 26 points.

The index, released on Tuesday via Transparency International’s website, showed that Denmark remained the least corrupt country with 89 points, followed by Finland (88), Singapore (84) and New Zealand (81). No African country made the global top 10 cleanest nations, a list dominated largely by European states. Within Africa, Seychelles, Cabo Verde and Botswana ranked highest with scores of 68, 62 and 58 points respectively, while South Sudan, Somalia and Venezuela emerged as the most corrupt countries in the world for the year under review.

Explaining the basis of the ranking

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 worldwide by their perceived levels of public-sector corruption. “The results are given on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).” She noted that while 31 countries have significantly reduced corruption since 2012, most others have stagnated or deteriorated, adding that “the global average has fallen to a new low of 42, while more than two-thirds of countries score below 50.” Martini warned that corruption remains a serious global threat, citing under-funded hospitals, unbuilt flood defences and growing public frustration, and urged leaders to act against abuses of power and the erosion of democratic checks and balances.

Full List

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 — 107
35 — 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

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