Nigeria retains 36th spot among world’s most corrupt countries in 2025 (Full list)

Transparency International, a global anti-corruption organisation, has once again ranked Nigeria as the 36th most corrupt country in the world.

According to the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, Nigeria dropped from 140th position in 2024 to 142nd out of 182 countries assessed. On the index, a rank of 1 represents the cleanest country, while 182 indicates the most corrupt.

Despite the decline, Nigeria retained the same status as the 36th most corrupt country globally, a position it also occupied in 2024.

Nigeria shared the ranking with Cameroon, Guatemala, Guinea, Kyrgyzstan and Papua New Guinea. All six countries recorded a score of 26 points on the index, reflecting persistent challenges in tackling corruption.

The ranking, released via TI’s website on Tuesday, highlighted the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Denmark maintained its position as the least corrupt country with 89 points, followed by Finland with 88 points, Singapore with 84 points, and New Zealand with 81 points.

No African country made the top 10 list of the cleanest countries, as it was dominated largely by European nations.

Seychelles, Cabo Verde and Botswana topped the list of the least corrupt African countries, with scores of 68, 62 and 58 points, respectively.

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, 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).

“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.

“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 said.

She warned that corruption remains a serious threat in every part of the world, although there are limited signs of progress.

“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.

“The absence of bold leadership is leading to weaker standards and enforcement, lowering ambition on anti-corruption efforts around the world.

“At the same time, many states are increasing restrictions on civic space. By making it hard or dangerous for citizens, NGOs and journalists to challenge abuses of power, they are reducing transparency and accountability. This allows corruption to flourish,” she stated.

Martini urged that “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.”

“Anti-government protests in many parts of the world show that people are fed up with unaccountable leadership and are demanding reform,” she added.

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

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

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