Nigeria has been ranked 140th out of 180 countries in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday.
The latest ranking marks an improvement for Nigeria, which moved up five places from its 2023 position and ten spots compared to 2022.
Denmark emerged as the least corrupt country with 90 points, followed by Finland with 88 points, and Singapore in third place with 84 points. On the other end of the spectrum, South Sudan, Somalia, and Venezuela ranked as the most corrupt nations.
The report noted that no African country made it into the top 10, which was dominated by European nations.
Nigeria, with a total score of 26 points, shared its position with Uganda, Mexico, Madagascar, Iraq, and Cameroon. Meanwhile, Cape Verde ranked as Africa’s least corrupt country, placing 35th globally with 62 points.
Commenting on the report, Francois Valeria, Transparency International chair, highlighted corruption as a persistent global issue but noted signs of progress.
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“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.
He also pointed to corruption as a major barrier to tackling climate change.
“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.”
Explaining the CPI methodology, Valeria stated, “The CPI ranks 180 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 noting that 32 countries have significantly reduced corruption levels since 2012, he emphasised that many nations have 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,” he added.
Taofeek Oyedokun @BusinessDay
