Global indicator Transparency International (TI) has once again reaffirmed the endemic corruption in South Sudan, ranking the world’s youngest nation at the near-bottom among the 182 countries and territories surveyed in 2025.
With a score of 9/100 on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), TI notes that South Sudan was among the several countries that continued to struggle with weakened checks and balances, shrinking civic space, and politicized justice systems, dynamics it identifies as key drivers of declining scores.
“In conflict-affected and highly repressive contexts, including South Sudan (9/100) and Somalia (9/100), corruption remains systemic and deeply entrenched, with devastating consequences for development and human security,” says the report.
Declines and stagnation, TI notes, dominated much of the African continent.
One of the most striking insights in 2025, the report notes, is the clear link between corruption, civic space, and democracy.
Denmark, Finland, Singapore, and New Zealand are ranked the world’s least corrupt, respectively.
Seychelles (68/100) remains a beacon in Africa, showing how investment in justice institutions and enforcement can translate into long-term progress. Senegal (46/100) and Côte d’Ivoire (43/100) also illustrate how incremental gains were possible where reforms were protected, and enforcement is credible.
“Countries where media freedom and civil society are under pressure are far more likely to see corruption worsen,” it notes.
The report notes that the takeaway for Africa in 2025 was clear: progress against corruption was possible, but was neither automatic nor inevitable.
“Where reforms are piecemeal, politicized, or disconnected from citizen oversight, gains quickly stall or unravel. As the CPI reminds us, strong institutions, protected civic space, and credible accountability mechanisms are not optional extras. They are the foundation of sustainable development and democratic resilience,” it cautions.
Since its inception in 1995, Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index has become the leading global indicator of public sector corruption. The index scores 182 countries and territories based on perceptions of public sector corruption, using data from 13 external sources, including the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, private risk and consulting companies, and think tanks. The score reflects the views of experts and businesspeople, not the public.
The process for calculating the CPI is regularly reviewed to make sure it is as robust and coherent as possible, most recently by the European Commission Joint Research Centre in 201.