Nigeria has been ranked as the 36th most corrupt country in the world, according to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International. The country scored 26 out of 100, placing it alongside Uganda, Mexico, Madagascar, Iraq, and Cameroon.
The CPI, published on Tuesday, February 11, evaluates corruption in the public sector across 180 countries on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Denmark emerged as the least corrupt nation with a score of 90, followed by Finland (88) and Singapore (84).
The top 10 least corrupt countries were dominated by European nations, with no African country making the list. However, Cape Verde stood out as the least corrupt African country, scoring 62 and ranking 35th globally. At the bottom of the index, South Sudan, Somalia, and Venezuela were ranked as the most corrupt countries.
François Valeria, Chair of Transparency International, emphasized the widespread nature of corruption, stating, “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.”
He also highlighted the negative impact of corruption on global challenges like climate action. “Corruption is a major threat to climate action. It hinders progress in reducing emissions and adapting to the unavoidable effects of global heating,” Valeria noted. While 32 countries have significantly reduced corruption since 2012, 148 nations have either stagnated or worsened.
Valeria warned that corruption remains deeply entrenched worldwide, with over two-thirds of countries scoring below 50.
“Billions of people live in countries where corruption destroys lives and undermines human rights,” he concluded.
