Rwanda has moved up two positions globally in the fight against corruption, according to the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published by Transparency International.

The report shows that Rwanda rose from 43rd place in 2024 to 41st in 2025 out of 181 countries assessed worldwide. The country’s score also improved, increasing from 57 to 58 out of 100, reflecting a gradual strengthening of anti-corruption efforts.

Rwanda’s Office of the Ombudsman welcomed the findings, reiterating the country’s long-term ambition under Vision 2050 to become the least corrupt country in the world.

Officials emphasized that achieving this goal will require public institutions to deliver high-quality services and for citizens to be transparent about the sources of their wealth.

Speaking on the report, Chief Ombudsman Madeleine Nirere said Rwanda aims to steadily improve both its score and global ranking by 2050.

She acknowledged that progress is ongoing, stressing that poor service delivery can sometimes push citizens into offering bribes.

She also warned that anyone caught soliciting bribes faces prosecution and confiscation of illegally acquired assets, while urging citizens not to accept property or assets registered in their names unlawfully.

The Executive Director of Transparency International Rwanda, Apollinaire Mupiganyi, described Rwanda’s improvement as a significant step toward boosting investor confidence.

He noted that even a one-point increase in CPI scores can translate into an estimated 4 percent rise in investment or national economic output. According to him, arrests and prosecutions of corrupt officials are encouraging signs of accountability.

Mupiganyi attributed Rwanda’s progress to sustained political will and institutional reforms, including a 2023 Presidential Order establishing an advisory council to fight injustice and corruption. He said these measures have helped extend anti-corruption efforts to senior officials and wealthy individuals often referred to as “big fish.”

Among international institutions that have positively rated Rwanda include the World Economic Forum, the African Development Bank, the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, and Global Insights, among others.

Globally, the countries ranked highest in avoiding corruption are Denmark (89 points), Finland (88), Singapore (84), New Zealand (81), Norway (81), Sweden (80), Switzerland (79), Luxembourg (78), and the Netherlands (78). At the bottom of the ranking are Somalia (9), South Sudan (9), Venezuela (10), Yemen (13), Libya (13), Eritrea (13), Sudan (14), and Nicaragua (14).

Within the East African region, Rwanda ranks first in the fight against corruption, followed by Tanzania (84th, 40 points), Kenya (130th, 30 points), Uganda (148th, 25 points), the Democratic Republic of Congo (163rd, 20 points), and Burundi (167th, 17 points).

In Sub-Saharan Africa, Seychelles leads at 24th place with 68 points, followed by Cabo Verde at 35th with 62 points, while Botswana and Rwanda are jointly ranked 41st with 58 points each.

Transparency International continues to urge governments to strengthen oversight of public finances, improve service delivery across institutions, and encourage citizens to report suspected or proven cases of corruption.