Nigeria Stagnates in Global Corruption Index, Maintaining Low Score Amid Regional Struggles

In the latest Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2025, Nigeria has been ranked 142nd out of 182 countries, reflecting a persistent challenge in perceived public sector integrity.

The country’s position fell two places from 140th in 2024, though its score of 26 out of 100 remained unchanged. The shift in rank is attributed to the inclusion of two additional countries in this year’s assessment.

The CPI measures the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Nigeria’s consistent low score places it among the lower-performing nations globally and highlights a sustained struggle to improve transparency and governance.

The 2025 index, released Tuesday, indicates that sub-Saharan Africa remains the lowest-performing region, with an average score of 32.

Only four of the 49 assessed countries in the region scored above 50. Seychelles leads with 68, followed by Cabo Verde (62), Botswana (58), and Rwanda (58). At the bottom of the regional list are Sudan (14), Eritrea (13), Somalia (9), and South Sudan (9).

Paul Banoba, TI’s Regional Advisor for Africa, emphasized the human impact of systemic corruption. “Public sector corruption disproportionately affects the most vulnerable,” Banoba stated. “African governments must move from pledges to action—strengthening accountability, ensuring transparency, and protecting civic participation.”

The publication of the 2025 CPI follows a year in which Tinubu was controversially listed as a finalist for the “Corrupt Person of the Year” award by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in 2024, underscoring the international attention on Nigeria’s governance challenges.

Nigeria’s performance over the past decade shows limited progress. The country’s highest score in recent years was 28 in 2016, when it ranked 136th. Since then, it has fluctuated near the bottom of the index, scoring 24 in 2022 and 2021, with rankings of 150th and 154th, respectively.

Despite renewed commitments from the administration of President Bola Tinubu to address corruption, measurable improvements in Nigeria’s CPI rating have yet to materialize.

The government’s stated anti-corruption agenda remains under scrutiny as institutional and transparency reforms appear slow to take effect.