Rwanda achieved its highest score ever in Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, marking four straight years of improvement and reinforcing the East African nation’s standing as a regional leader in anti-corruption efforts.
The annual index, released Tuesday, placed Rwanda at 58%, up from 57% in 2024, and raised the country’s global ranking to 41st, its best showing since the CPI began in 1995. The score also tied Rwanda with Botswana for third place in Africa, behind Seychelles (68%) and Cabo Verde (62%).
The improvement is significant for Rwanda, which has steadily climbed the CPI ladder since 2022, when it scored 51%. The country’s previous best scores were 54% in three separate editions and 56% in 2018.
“This steady rise sends a powerful signal that sustained reforms, political commitment and institutional discipline can deliver real results,” said Apollinaire Mupiganyi, executive director of Transparency International Rwanda and a member of TI’s board. “But reaching a highest score ever is not a moment for complacency. It is a call to consolidate integrity systems and ensure progress is felt by citizens.”
Apollinaire Mupiganyi, executive director of Transparency International Rwanda and a member of TI’s board
Rwanda remains the top-ranked country in East Africa, far ahead of regional peers including Tanzania (84th, 40%), Kenya (130th, 30%), Uganda (148th, 25%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (163rd, 20%) and Burundi (167th, 17%).
The CPI score is based on seven sources, including the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey, the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, and the World Bank CPIA. Rwanda’s strongest showing came from the World Economic Forum survey, which rated the country at 73%, up from 69% last year.
Despite Rwanda’s gains, Transparency International said corruption remains a serious problem across Sub-Saharan Africa. The region’s average CPI score is 32%, and only four of the 49 countries scored above 50. Ten countries in the region have significantly worsened since 2012, while only seven, including Rwanda, have improved.
Globally, the CPI shows a worrying decline in anti-corruption performance. The number of countries scoring above 80 has fallen from 12 a decade ago to five this year. Transparency International also highlighted shrinking civic space and growing restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly in many countries.
“Corruption is not inevitable,” said François Valérian, chair of Transparency International. “There is a clear blueprint for how to hold power to account, from democratic processes and independent oversight to a free and open civil society.”
The CPI ranks 182 countries and territories on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). The global average score fell to 42, its lowest level in more than a decade.
Rwanda’s upward trend offers a rare success story in a year when many countries saw declines, and it underscores the potential for sustained reform to improve governance and public trust.
