Transparency International has ranked Nigeria as the 36th most corrupt country globally in its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released on Tuesday.
Nigeria shares the position with Uganda, Mexico, Madagascar, Iraq, and Cameroon, each scoring 26 points on the index.
Denmark remains the least corrupt nation with 90 points, followed by Finland (88) and Singapore (84). The top 10 least corrupt countries were predominantly European, with no African nation making the list. However, Cape Verde ranked as Africa’s least corrupt country, placing 35th globally with 62 points.
Meanwhile, South Sudan, Somalia, and Venezuela were ranked as the most corrupt nations in the world.
Commenting on the report, Transparency International Chair Francois Valeria highlighted corruption’s widespread impact, including its threat to global climate action.
“The 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows that corruption is a dangerous problem in every part of the world, but change for the better is happening in many countries,” Valeria said.
“Research also reveals that corruption is a major threat to climate action. It hinders progress in reducing emissions and adapting to the unavoidable effects of global heating.”
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories based on perceived public sector corruption, using a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). While 32 countries have reduced corruption since 2012, 148 have either stagnated or worsened.
“The global average of 43 has also stood still for years, while over two-thirds of countries score below 50. Billions of people live in countries where corruption destroys lives and undermines human rights,” Valeria added.
